Broken
by Obsidian Buterfly
Summary: "K-Kurogane-san…" he whispered hoarsely, his expression betraying nothing but desperation and terror. "Don't…" "Don't what, kid?" "Don't… don't hurt me… please…" he begged in a broken voice. Warning: Post-series AU, Torture-fic
1. Betrayed

_**A/N: Gah! I'm so sorry. I really can't help myself. The bunnies keep on attacking me! T_T and they won't go away! *wails***_

_**So I have decided to put up the three new bunnies that have been bothering me for quite some time now and leave it up to you guys to decide which fic I ought to continue first.**_

_**I'm gonna be putting up a poll on my profile so please vote for the fic you like best.**_

_**Enjoy!**_

_**Chapter 1**_

Syaoran was roughly shoved in through the door, his weakened, battered body, falling to the cold floor as he stumbled inside. Rough hands reached out to grab his hair, dragging him carelessly across the length of the room towards the very back as he gave out a small, strangled yelp.

He felt himself getting lifted off the ground, his broken right arm jostling and causing sharp spikes of pain to shoot through the swollen appendage. The person holding him moved towards a low, rectangular box, opening its lid with a kick from his leg.

Through blurry eyes, he took in the dimensions of the container and noticed that it was hardly larger than a storage chest, something similar to what he had seen people use to keep their clothes in on some of the worlds he had been on.

This one ,however, was completely void of such contents.

It was too late by the time his tired mind finally processed the purpose of the box as he was lowered into it. The person holding him roughly positioned his legs and arranged the rest of his body so that he fit inside it.

Turning his head, Syaoran saw, cold crimson eyes staring at him.

"K-Kurogane-san…" He struggled weakly, uselessly trying to move his left arm to reach out for the man. "Why?"

"Shut up you stupid brat." The addressed man snarled as he grabbed hold of Syaoran's head and banged it harshly against the wooden bottom of the box, pushing his arm back inside harshly.

Dazed, Syaoran could do nothing to stop him as Kurogane began to close the top. A pair of apathetic jade eyes observed him as the lid was closed completely.

"Sakura!" he cried, his voice hoarse from having screamed for a very long time before. Sandpaper scraped the insides of his throat as he struggled to get more words out as the lock was slid into place.

"You deserve this," he heard her speak coldly. "You deserve this and everything else that has been done to you."

"No! Please…" he tried to pound on inside of the chest as best as he could with his good arm but there was barely any room to move. His body was fitted inside the chest in such a manner that even the simple task of drawing a breath was a chore. "Don't… leave me…"

He heard the sound of their receding footsteps and his heart began to pound wildly against his chest. They were leaving!

"Sakura! Kurogane-san!" he screamed but his voice was barely audible to even himself.

"You'll die alone," he heard Kurogane say just before the door shut with a resounding bang. Nothing but silence met his ears afterwards save for the sound of his own ragged breathing.

He tried to keep the panic at bay but soon claustrophobia began to set in. The walls of the chest shrank, starting to collapse inwards, trying to crush him. The darkness inside threatened to make him a part of itself, wanting nothing more than to swallow his existence so he would be forgotten by the world forever.

He was going to die!

Left alone and forgotten by the ones he had cherished more than life itself. Heck, _they_ had been the ones to leave him here. He'd never be able to see Sakura smile at him. He'd never be able to hear Fai tease Kurogane or watch his mentor lose his temper towards the blond or Mokona.

The air grew stale with every breath that he took, losing more and more oxygen, leaving his lungs unsatisfied and wanting more.

He tried taking in a deep breath but his chest, getting crushed against his folded knees had no room to expand. The box was too small!

And he was running out of oxygen.

Terrified, he started to struggle once more, trying hard to ignore the pain that shot up his broken arm with every infinitesimal movement. Tears of helplessness prickled at his eyes but he tried to hold them in, refusing to give in. A harsh, cough like laugh escaped his lips, turning into a near sob at the end.

He was going to die here.

And no one was coming to save him. After all, his own friends had been the ones to leave him here.

He could not remember for the life of him what exactly he had done to deserve it, but Kurogane, Fai and his beloved Sakura, they all hated him. Hated him enough to torture and beat him mercilessly for more than a month. Or had it been a year already? He couldn't tell. Time had lost its meaning since he had first been brought to this hell hole.

He closed his eyes, trying to picture their faces as they once had looked at him, with love and care, tried to imagine their voices as they had once spoken to him, with compassion but all he could see was their hate filled eyes, all he could hear was their harsh taunts.

_You deserve this._

"No…"

_You deserve everything._

"No…"

_You'll die alone._

"No!" he gasped, terror finally completing its hold over him. "Let me out!" he choked out, weakly trying to break his way out of the wooden chest as his lungs began to burn from the lack of oxygen. He was suffocating. There was no room to breathe and darkness was reaching out with its greedy hands to swallow him whole.

"Saku-ra… Ku-rogan-e-san… he-lp me… Please… let me o-ut…"

He heard yelling in the distance but his oxygen-deprived brain could not place the voices, despite the fact that they sounded familiar.

As he was swallowed by the nothingness, he thought he heard something big collide with the door that he been pushed through earlier. He was gone by the time the door was broken down and the intruders had rushed inside. He never felt the pair of strong arms that gently pulled him out of the chest nor did he feel the tingling sensations of inter-dimensional magic as his unmoving form was whisked away from that world.


	2. Bedlam

_**A/N: And here you have the next chapter. Enjoy!**_

"Shit! Kid! Oye, wake up," Kurogane shook the prone form in his arms, his heart clenching in fear at the way Syaoran's head lolled upon his shoulder, like a rag doll. "Mage, where the hell are we?" he asked, feeling his blood boil in anger. What the hell had those bastards done to the kid? If it hadn't been for Fai's inter-dimensional transportation spell, he would have ripped them apart limb from limb after making sure that they had gotten the kid out of that place. Right now, however, was not the time to think about what he would have done to those assholes. They needed to get the kid help. His breathing was terribly shallow and his heart was barely beating. They were going to lose him if they didn't do something about it soon.

"…"

"Mage?" Kurogane looked over his shoulder only to find that the blue-eyed blond was nowhere to be seen.

"Mage!" Kurogane called out for Fai, his garnet eyes frantically searching for the man but all he spotted was the comatose manju bun lying a few feet away from him.

"Fuck." That was the word that perfectly described his current thoughts. That flash of silver he had seen a split second before being magicked out of that world was not just a trick of his eyes. They had gotten the magician. Which meant that Fai was currently-

"Kurogane-san?" he heard a gentle male voice ask and he whirled around to see the priest of Clow looking at him with a bewildered expression. "Is that Syaoran-kun?" his voice rose slightly at the end of his question as the bewilderment transformed into horror.

"Questions later, the kid needs help." Kurogane said briskly as he hurriedly got to his feet, the dying boy still in his arms as he motioned for the priest to pick up the dimension-hopping bunny.

"I-I'll inform Sakura-chan," Yukito said shakily as he murmured a few words and the air began to tingle with magic. Wordlessly, Kurogane hurried towards the castle visible in the distance. The priest had appeared from the direction of the ruins, but for some reason Kurogane felt like the princess was not there and at the castle. He was proven correct a couple of minutes later as the robed, emerald-eyed girl appeared at the steps with a worried look on her face. She inhaled sharply and bit her lip to keep herself from asking questions as she led them inside, across the entrance and down the right corridor, stopping outside a pair of double doors. Yukito helped her push them open as she instructed Kurogane to lay Syaoran down on the bed inside.

Kurogane stepped aside to let the young priestess work on him, worried eyes taking in her pale appearance as she hurriedly listed off things to the priest that she would need to treat the wounds before she focused her energy on a spell of some sort.

Several hours later, Kurogane heard her let out a relieved sigh as she turned to look at him and give him a shaky, slightly watery smile. "He's out of danger." She announced, "But his right arm needs to be reset. It has not yet healed properly but the bones have made a semi connection so we might have to…" she took in a deep breath to steady herself but Kurogane spoke before she could continue, sparing her the pain of telling him what needed to be done.

"We have to break his arm again before the bones can be set straight."

"…Yes." Sakura replied, biting her lip as tears welled up in her eyes. "I'll heal it once we bind his arm with a splint."

"Kurogane-san…" she started hesitantly as a drop of saltine water managed to slide down her cheek. Quickly, she wiped it with the back of her hand, her gaze travelling to Syaoran's unconscious form. The sight of his beaten and bruised body caused a few more tears to escape.

"How did this…" she trailed off, unsure of whether she wanted to even know what might have happened to the boy she loved, her fingers tenderly pushing his hair out of his face.

"We should finish taking care of the kid first." Kurogane told her quietly, obviously not wanting to think about whatever had happened either. The fact that the mage was not with them here worried him greatly, but he did not let it show as he took hold of Syaoran's swollen arm, a small whimper of pain escaping the unconscious teen's lips.

The crookedly healing bone cracked with an audible snap and Syaoran let out an agonized scream, his eyes snapping open as he shot upright, tears of pain trailed down his dirty face. He tried to pry his broken arm from the ninja's grip, bloody nails raking at the older man's skin as he kept screaming.

"Kid!" Kurogane quickly grabbed his free hand and as though someone had flipped a switch, Syaoran went limp and completely silent in his arms, though he had not lost consciousness. He gazed up at the ninja with wide, fearful, bloodshot eyes that lacked their usual luster.

"K-Kurogane-san…" he whispered hoarsely, his expression betraying nothing but desperation and terror. "Don't…"

"Don't what, kid?" the ninja asked in a tone so soft, he even surprised himself.

"Don't… don't hurt me… please…" he begged in a broken voice, resuming his earlier efforts to get away from the red-eyed man.

"What?" he almost yelped and his violent reaction only seemed to scare Syaoran even more as he screwed his eyes shut and tried to curl in on himself as though he expected to be hit any second. His thin, emaciated frame shook like a leaf, some of the bandaged cuts on his torso beginning to show flashes of red.

Noticing his distressed condition, Sakura reached out with her right hand to touch him but he only flinched in response to when her skin touched his cold flesh. "Syaoran…" she called his name, gently cradling his cheek but he only whimpered in response.

"Sakura…hime… you're here too…"

"Yes," she smiled softly even though she knew he had his eyes closed and could not see her expression.

"Please…" he whispered, his eyes still clenched tightly as tears leaked past them, "It hurts… so much… please, just stop… don't… don't hit me again…"

"What?" Sakura mirrored Kurogane's response, albeit hers was more breathless.

"Not again!" his cries grew louder as he started struggling against Kurogane's hold once more, his eyes snapping open as he struggled with the sheets and tried to scramble away from her but the ninja's hold on his broken arm kept him from moving too far, "Please! Just leave me alone!"

"Syaoran," Sakura, who had previously retracted her hand in shock, tried to touch him once more, in an attempt to calm him down but it only had the opposite effect.

"No!"

"Kid, calm down," Kurogane tightened his grip on the struggling brunette but that too, turned out to be a very bad idea.

"Leave me alone!" a surprisingly strong kick connected with Kurogane's temple and had him seeing stars for a couple of seconds. It had not been the force of the attack however but it's suddenness that had made the ninja lose his grip on Syaoran. Instead of trying to get away from them however, this time, the boy merely curled in on himself as though trying to shield his body from invisible blows. "Stop tormenting me." He cried, cradling his freshly broken arm, "kill me if you want to but please…" his voice broke, "stop showing me kindness… just so you can hurt me again…"

"Syaoran…" Sakura sniffled, hurt clearly flashing across her features at the words the chestnut haired boy had uttered but Syaoran did not register it as Kurogane grabbed his shoulder with one hand while the other moved towards his neck. Pure, unadultered terror flashed in his amber orbs as he gazed at the ninja through bloodshot eyes.

"Sleep, kid," the ninja said gruffly as he jabbed at a pressure point on his neck and Syaoran's eyes rolled to the back of his head as he lost consciousness.

"Kurogane-san…" the emerald-eyes princess sobbed quietly, as she watched the older man straighten out Syaoran's body, rearranging the sheets to cover his naked, bandaged torso, "What happened to him? Where is Fai-san? And… and what's wrong with Mokona?"

The addressed man waited until he was finished making his unconscious student as comfortable as possible before heaving a quite sigh. Not moving his garnet-eyed gaze from Syaoran's pain expression, he started speaking, his free hand subconsciously clenching into a fist as he looked at his student whimper in his sleep. "The last world we visited…"

_**A/N: So any ideas on what happened to Syaoran? What's wrong with Mokona and where is Fai?**_

_**Review and let me know. **_

_**And please, don't forget to vote for the fic you like the most out of these three. The poll is on my profile.**_

_**Till next time. Ja!**_

_**PS. To all my readers of 'Tsubasa Reservoir Chronicles' I have re-edited and in certain parts rewritten the first five chapters as well put up a prologue for that fic, so please go check it out. The remaining chapters will be up pretty soon too. (Hopefully) I mention this here because I am not sure if you are getting alerts for those chapters since I didn't get any.**_


	3. Berserk

_**A/N: Sorry for the late update guys. I tried to put up the chapters last night but the server was down. And I was feeling so tired last night, I couldn't really wait for it to work to put up the chapters. My grandmother had a heart attack earlier this week and she was hospitalized and I was busy taking care of her. Thankfully she is stable now and she got discharged today! So yeah, I'm in a mood for celebration. Which is why I will be putting up new chapters for FOUR fics! Isn't that awesome?**_

_**Now please without further ado, go ahead and enjoy!**_

_**Don't forget to review. ;)**_

_A rough hand gripped the front of his T-shirt and jerked him along, pulling Syaoran through the long, pristine-looking hallways. His leg still hurt where he had been shot, and thus he could do nothing more than move his legs stiffly in an attempt to prevent himself from being dragged. All of a sudden, the pulling stopped as he was violently shoved forwards, before the chains connected to the manacles at his wrists were yanked outwards. The resulting jerk nearly pulled his arms out of their sockets. There was a loud clicking noise, followed by the whirring of gears, and he found suddenly that he could not move them, the chains having been pulled to their limit. The position was quite uncomfortable and in under a minute, his arms started hurting like hell._

_He tried pulling at them to try and free himself, but found quickly enough that it was futile. There was another click and he heard a pair of careless footsteps approaching him. The person stopped right behind him, and despite him craning his neck as much as he could, he still could not see who the presence behind him was. However, he had had no trouble in identifying that second clicking noise as the unlocking of a switchblade._

_He felt the knife's tip press at the back of his throat and Syaoran froze, all struggles ceasing as he awaited the next move on his captors part. For a second it dug into his flesh and Syaoran wordlessly wondered if they were going to stab him in the back before the pressure lessened somewhat. It hesitated for a moment before the knife slowly slid downwards, cutting through his shirt, letting his back become completely exposed to the chilly air._

_Syaoran felt the person behind him give a derisive chuckle as he involuntarily began to shiver at the biting cold._

"_Don't worry, brat," the gruff voice told him, "soon you'll be begging for the cold."_

_He heard something slosh behind him before a scalding hot liquid hit him full force in the back. _

_He let out an involuntary yelp as the pain registered. Not even five seconds had passed before he was once again drenched in the steaming hot, almost boiling water. This process was repeated a couple of times again before the presence moved away and despite his obvious discomfort, Syaoran's body tensed up, unsure of what to expect._

_CRACK!_

_Out of the corner of his eye, he caught sight of a thin, snake-like black tip which slithered back towards the person behind him. The following sounds were an amalgamation of the whistling of the whip sailing through the air and the sharp slap of it meeting naked flesh._

"Argh!"

Fai let out a scream as the whip served to spread fire across his back once more.

Taking in slow, deliberate breaths, he tried blocking the pain, controlling his heartbeat and his racing thoughts in an attempt to tame his rabid mind. Whatever the hell they had put in him, he could feel it assaulting his nervous system, the poisonous drug burning his insides, making it harder and harder for him to control himself, his magic suppressed to the point of non-existence.

With another sharp crack that resonated in the air around him, the whip tore at his back, making him cry out once more.

The flogging went on for what seemed like hours to Fai and he was barely conscious by the time his captors decided to leave him alone. He felt the slow drip-drop of his blood as it flowed out of his wounded back, trailing down his soaked jeans and pooling about his bare feet on the floor.

Just before he had been brought to this chamber, they had rid him of all his clothes except for the pair of jeans he wore and a light t-shirt that he had been wearing underneath a rather warm leather jacket. They had even taken away his shoes and socks. He didn't really see the point of it all, but when he had been chained into place, a switchblade had been used to rob him of his t-shirt as well, leaving him slightly shivering in the cold, damp air.

Now, having lost all feeling in his cold, icy hands and feet, Fai struggled to stay awake, panting hard to bring air into his lungs. His vision dimmed around the edges as he hung somewhat limply from his bonds.

"Where are the others?" His captor's rough hand grabbed a fistful of his hair and pulled it back so far that Fai was looking at the ceiling. "You know where the witch is hiding with her little club of heathenists. Where. Are. They?" each word was followed by a powerful jerk and felt some of his hair part with his scalp.

"I don't know what you're talking about," he answered as calmly as he could, and was rewarded by a punch in the ribs. He grunted in pain, knowing that that was definitely gonna leave a bruise.

"You'll be singing like a canary soon enough, Blondie." The man sneered, bringing his mouth closer to Fai's ear, jerking the latter's head very painfully as he said 'Blondie'. Fai heard a second person approach him and his body tensed up subconsciously. The newcomer pressed something cold to his neck, the metal- for that was what it felt like- lined up vertically with his throat, pressing against his Adam's apple as some collar-like contraption was tied around his neck. The man holding his hair let go of him, greatly relieving Fai, it was quite painful to have your neck pulled back that far.

Unfortunately for him, his relief was short lived since when he lowered his head to let it hang freely, something pointed with a sharp tip dug into his collar bone and the part of his throat just under his chin. Immediately, Fai pulled his head back, noting with relief that the pain subsided with this action.

Experimentally, Fai lowered his head once more, noticing that the metal tip dug into his flesh again. Not letting his frustration show on his face, Fai raised his head so that he was looking up at the ceiling.

His captors chuckled in sadistic mirth as they walked out of the room, letting the door shut with a loud bang. Making up random patterns on the ceiling to keep himself preoccupied and distracted from noticing his uncomfortable position, he idly wondered if Syaoran had been in the same position as him while he had been a captive here.

He let his thoughts drift from there, speculating what everyone else might be doing. Hoping Kurogane had managed to find help for Syaoran in time. Wondering if Mokona had been revived from its magical intoxication-induced coma. His reflections then wandered towards a group of magicians that he knew were hiding in a natural system of caves, deep underground.

What would they be doing right now? What about her? The one his captives had dubbed as 'witch'.

"_Hyuu! What a beautiful world we have landed in this time." And indeed the world they had all landed in was a sight to behold, lush green gardens, beautiful marble buildings, wide cobbled streets with shimmering shields around many buildings._

"_I don't know why you insist on making that stupid sound every time even though we all know you know how to whistle." Kurogane grumbled in annoyance._

"_Well that's because this is more fun, Kuro-silly."_

"_Tch…" he looked away, observing their surrounding and appreciating the beauty that surrounded them. "Again with the stupid nicknames."_

"_Aww… don't be a sourpuss Kuro-grumpy." Fai teased with a laugh, "You know you love them."_

"_Whatever."_

"_Fai-san, Kurogane-san. I think we should get a change of clothes to better fit in." Syaoran suggested, noticing a group of teens walking past them on the other side of the street, throwing them weird looks._

"_Hmm… you're right, we should do that. Although…"Fai frowned, feeling something amiss, "Where is Mokona?"_

"_Isn't it in your clothes?" Kurogane raised a brow._

"_No, Mokona's not on me." Fai shook his head, looking around only to find the white bejeweled rabbit lying motionless on the ground near his feet._

"_Mokona?" Fai picked the magical creature in his hands but it gave no response._

"_What's wrong with it?" Syaoran approached him, worry for their little companion clearly showing on his face._

"_I'm not sure but- oof!" Someone collided into Fai and sent him sprawling on the ground in a tangled mess of limbs with the person that had crashed into him._

"_Umm… Miss, are you alright?" Syaoran asked as he helped her climb to her feet. Shaking her head a couple of times, she looked at him with unfocused eyes while Syaoran took in her appearance. "You're bleeding!" he exclaimed, noticing as blood began streaming down her face from a wound on her head hidden by her hair._

_**Civilians get off the streets! Civilians get off the streets! A Magi is on the loose!**__a booming voice announced in the distance and the girl's eyes widened in fear. Wrenching her arm free from Syaoran's grasp, she started running down the street._

"_I think it would be best if we followed the girl," Kurogane suggested as Fai scooped up the unconscious Mokona._

"_I agree." Fai nodded, taking off in the direction that the girl had raced off to, Syaoran and Kurogane right at his heels. A couple of streets away from the place that they had arrived in this world at, they came upon a strange sight. A group of cloaked men were attacking the girl using an amalgamation of ancient and modern weapons while a faltering shield of pure violet energy surrounded the girl. With each hit, the energy seemed to diffuse a bit more and the girl shrank further into herself._

"_Should we help her?" Syaoran looked at his two companions._

"_You there!" one of the cloaked men turned their attention towards them, "Get away from this location. This Magi is dangerous."_

"_Dangerous?" Fai's brow rose as he looked at the girl with hair a shade of purple so dark, it was almost black. Her violet eyes were darting around in fear like that of a cornered animal's and her pale skin was covered in bruises and cuts that still bled. "She doesn't look all that dangerous to me."_

"_What the…" the cloaked man started before backing away from Fai and the others in alarm._

"_The Magi has accomplices!" he yelled at his partners, readying a weapon to aim and fire at Kurogane._

"_I think the decision was taken out of our hands Syaoran-kun." Fai said calmly as he took up a fighting stance, magic crackling at the tip of his fingers._

"_Idiot! You did that on purpose!" Kurogane growled as he summoned Ginryuu in a manner similar to Syaoran's. A few worlds back, when Mokona and Fai had been separated from the puppy-duo, Fai had decided to seal his sword back in Kurogane's hand so as to not leave the ninja weaponless should he find himself in a tough situation in the future._

" _~maybe I did…" Fai said in a sing song voice as he dodged a shot aimed at him before grinning at the red-eyed man. "But you can't say you weren't itching for a fight."_

"…" _Kurogane's only response was a wild grin gracing his features as he slashed at his opponent._

"_Guess we don't really have a choice," Syaoran shrugged, summoning his own sword before racing forward._


	4. Browbeaten

_**A/N: Hey everyone! Guess what?**_

_**I turned twenty one today! :D**_

_**So as a treat to all my faithful readers, I'm gonna update today instead of on Saturday. **_

_**Enjoy! Don't forget to review!**_

"_This part of the country is quite different from the part that we had arrived in." Syaoran frowned as he looked around the barren landscape and ruined structures with crumbling buildings and dry, cracked land._

"_I wonder what happened here," Fai said as he too looked around, for once, the ever-present smile missing from his features._

"_Me too." Kurogane grunted, shifting the unconscious girl in his arms as observed their surroundings through narrowed eyes. "You sure this is the place?"_

"_Yes, the girl gave me pretty clear instructions," Fai nodded as he purposefully strode towards a building that looked like it might fall apart in even the lightest of breeze._

"No" Syaoran moaned in pain, his body twitching every now and then as sweat began to dot his brow. Kurogane stopped telling his tale and turned to look at Syaoran in concern same as Sakura who was biting her lip in worry.

"Please…" the brunette whimpered, trying to sink into the bed he lay on, "It hurts…" all of a sudden his eyes flew open as a pained scream erupted from his lips, his back arching away from the bed as he tried to reach it with both his hands though it was quite obvious that moving his broken arm was causing him greater pain. "It hurts! Stop! Sakura-hime, please stop!"

"Kid!" Kurogane lunged forward and grabbed hold of his thrashing body before the kid could cause himself further harm but that seemed to only cause him to struggle further.

"No! Please! Don't hurt me!"

"Syaoran," Sakura moved forward to help Kurogane when the brunette became impossible for Kurogane to handle alone.

As soon as her finger closed in around Syaoran's hand, his body froze as he stared at her with wide, bloodshot and fearful eyes.

"Syaoran, calm down," Sakura spoke in a soothing tone, doing her best to comfort him as she ran her thumb over his knuckles, "Everything will be alight."

"Everything… " Syaoran's breath caught in his throat as he looked at her, "will be alright?" he repeated her statement in a small yet completely lost tone, his face losing all color.

"Yes." Sakura tried to smile at him but seeing him look at her with so much fear broke her heart. Right before her eyes, the boy she loved seemed to shatter to pieces.

"Please…" he whispered, his eyes growing wild with panic as he gave her a pleading look. The look was one she had never witnessed on his face before and for a fraction of a second, Sakura found her being shatter to infinitesimal pieces as she received it. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry… Please Sakura-hime… don't hurt me."

"Syaoran," the jade-eyed girl shook her head, squeezing his hand in a reassuring gesture, "I'm not going to hurt you." But like everything else they had done so far when it came to dealing with Syaoran, the action seemed to send him into panic mode all over again.

"I-I'm sorry!" he whimpered, subtly trying to reclaim his hand at first, his tries growing more frantic as his voice grew louder when Sakura refused to let go, "I'm sorry! Please Sakura-hime… I'm sorry!" he cried struggling for all he was worth to free his hand from her grasp, tears pouring down his face as he fixed his eyes on their hands, refusing to meet her eyes.

"Syaoran-" Whatever it was that Sakura wanted to say to him, it was cut off as his body froze all over again, his already pale face going completely ashen as he stared at her hands in horror.

"N-no…" he started weakly, "I-I said I was sorry!" in a surprising display of hidden strength, he wrenched his hand free from her grip, immediately beginning to claw at his own flesh as though trying to rip off invisible parasites from his skin. "Sakura-hime! Please stop!" he begged, growing hysterical as his nails tore at barely healed cuts and scabs making them bleed anew.

Alarmed, Kurogane's hands shot out to grab hold Syaoran's unbroken arm before he could inflict further harm to himself but the boy was delirious.

"Kurogane-san! Fai-san!" he cried out, trapped in whatever nightmarish vision his hallucinating mind presented him with, "Make it stop! Please make it stop!"

The ninja had to throw his entire weight on the boy's body to somewhat restrain him but that too seemed to be doing little good. Syaoran smacked his broken arm into the ninja with enough force to make it sound a sickening crack for the second time that day. The red-eyed ninja recoiled from the boy in shock, staring at him in disbelief. The boy had him with enough force to successfully dislocate the broken bones in his arm again!

Paying no mind to that however, Syaoran shot up in bed once more. His body writhing and thrashing as he screamed like someone or some_thing _was trying rip him apart from the inside. Blood was beginning to flow from the corners of his mouth as he no doubt caused enough damage to his throat to make it _bleed_!

Kurogane couldn't really think of any other way to make him calm down other than the one he had use a short while back. Jabbing at a pressure point, Kurogane gently caught Syaoran in his arms just as he slumped forwards.

"Fuck!" Kurogane swore violently as he crushed the unconscious boy to his chest, clenching his eyes as they started to burn. Behind him, he heard Sakura sniffle heartbrokenly. "I'll fucking kill those bastards!" he growled menacingly, his mind already coming up with creative ways to slowly and painfully kill the ones responsible for his apprentice's current condition as he refused to let go of the boy.

-0-

It took all his willpower to not let his head drop forward as he hung limply from his arms. It had already been three days since his captors had left him in that dungeon after strapping a Heretic's fork to his neck. He had seen a similar contraption being used for torture by sleep deprivation in one of the other worlds he had visited along with Kurogane and Syaoran.

Three days.

It had been three days since he had been hanging by his arms strung outwards, with the pointed tip of the fork digging into his flesh every time he tried to lower his head to alleviate the lightheadedness that he was suffering due to bloodloss. His throat felt like it was being scraped on the inside with sandpaper every time he gulped and his numbing muscles screamed in protest every time he shifted.

And this was only the third day!

Syaoran had been stuck with these people for over _two months!_

He knew Syaoran had an exceptionally strong spirit, but would it have been able to survive in this hellhole for over two months? Dread settled in the pit of Fai's stomach as he thought about the condition they had found Syaoran in shortly before he had sent him, Kurogane and Mokona to Clow.

_Please be okay,_ he prayed silently just as soon as the door to his cell was thrown open.

"Ready to talk yet, Blondie?" the guard sneered at him as Fai heard his footsteps approach him.

"…" When the blue-eyed wizard stubbornly kept his jaw clenched, he heard the man chuckle darkly.

"A tough one, eh?" Fai heard the chains holding him in place sag a little as the man said this, "Let's how long _you_ can last."

The Heretic's fork dug into the flesh, breaking skin enough to draw blood as he fell when his captors seemed to loosen the chains completely. Feeling the blood rush to his numb appendages, Fai forced himself to push his body above the ground on trembling limbs as he kept his head raised at an awkward angle to prevent further damage from the contraption around his neck.

"Do your worst." Fai hissed venomously, his voice low and threatening despite his current position. An aura of power began to surround his body, his eyes flickering to gold as he glared at the man previously sneering at him. Now however, he could see the fat guard palpitate, his skin growing chalky pale as he sensed Fai's dormant vampire abilities kick in when his magic failed to provide him with the necessary strength.

"W-What are you?" the guard stuttered a little before catching himself, but it was enough for Fai, whose strength seemed to increase every passing second.

Pushing himself into a standing position, Fai allowed a feral grin to grace his feature, making sure to expose his rather sharpened canines to the man before him as his claws elongated.

"Me?" he cocked a brow, grinning at the effect he was having on the pathetic lowly hunter standing before him, "as corny as it might sound," he said casually before his golden, cat-like slitted eyes narrowed threateningly as he ripped off the collar from around his neck, chains jingling in his wake, "_I'm your worst nightmare."_

The two foolish hunters never knew what hit them as Fai vanished from the air before them appearing behind them one second after the other, both bodies hitting the ground with simultaneous thuds, clearly dead.

_**A/N: I swear this fic has a mind of its own. I had definitely not planned on Fai breaking free so soon but it just wrote itself out and refused to be altered so *sigh* I decided to let it be. **_

_**Oh and Fai staying behind was no mere accident. He knew full well what he was getting into when he transported everyone to Clow but what might his reasons be?**_

_**Why is Syaoran reacting so badly to Sakura and Kurogane's presence? Will our favorite ninja and princess be able to figure it out in time to save him and Fai? Or will it be too late? And lastly, what of Mokona? Will the bejeweled rabbit wake up anytime soon?**_

_**I'd love to hear what you guys think might be the answers to these questions. ;)**_

_**Click on the pretty little button down there and let me know.**_

_**Oh and by the way, this chapter has not been checked by my beta so feel free to point out any mistakes you might spot in it.**_

_**~Ja**_


	5. Busted

_**A/N: Remember when I said there would be slightly graphic torture in the fic. Lucky for you we'll be having none of that in this chapter.**_

_**Kurogane: But?**_

_**Me: Kurgo! Where have you been all these months?**_

_**Kurgo: *sighs* I don't even have the energy to bother.**_

_**Me: Eh? Why is that?**_

_**Kurgalurga: *glares* You locked me in one of your damn closets and forgot to let me out, damn it! That's why.**_

_**Me: Oh. *sweatdrops* So **_**that's**_** what I was forgetting. Ahehehe… sorry 'bout that Kuro-burger.**_

_**Kuro-chocolate: *sighs* Again with the food names.**_

_**Me: Hmm… I should lock you up in closets more often. You are so much more docile like that.**_

_**Kuro-frenchfries: *jaw drops* D-docile?**_

_**Me: Ahan. I've been mangling your name with food again and all you did was heave a sigh (Fai: Umm… Nims-chan?) which if you ask me is much better. (Mokona: Nims?) honestly, all that running around with you brandishing your sword threatening to slice me into tiny unidentifiable pieces… it's quite tiring. (Fai: Nims-chan, you should-) Not now Fai. I'm trying to explain how his being docile is so much better than his rabid mad-dog self. Now. Where was I? Ah yes. So as I was saying Kurgi-icecream, locking you up in closets is a really good thing. I ought to do it more often because- (Mokona and Fai: Nims-chan!)**_

_**Me: *turns around to glare at them* What?**_

_**Fai: Just wanted to tell you that Kurgi is umm…**_

_**Me: *taps foot impatiently* what is he?**_

_**Mokona: *meekly* back to his mad dog self.**_

_**Me: *pales* oh um… hehehe… Kurogane, you know what? I just remembered this really important project I had to go work on so… *trails off***_

_**Kurogane: *turning red in the face* So I'm docile, eh?**_

_**Me: N-no. I didn't mean that. *loosens hypothetical tie* I umm... I meant that… Tomoyo! Kuro is out to get meee! *bolts***_

_**Fai and Mokona: *watching the authoress as she run for her life* **_

_**Fai: Ne, Moko-chan, what was it that Nims-chan was talking about earlier?**_

_**Mokona: She was saying that the readers won't have to read any graphic torture scenes in this chapter.**_

_**Fai: But?**_

_**Mokona: But what she was unable to tell them was that despite her best efforts, the torture scenes in the upcoming chapters might be a bit too graphic for some readers. So she has decided that she will raise the ratings for those chapters to M. and also indicate where the scenes will begin and end to help readers skip over those parts if torture is not their cup of tea.**_

_**Fai: Anything else?**_

_**Mokona: Nope. Not at the moment. So with that out of the way, Nims would like to tell her readers to go ahead and enjoy this update.**_

_**Fai: How are you able to tell what she would like to tell them?**_

_**Mokona: *winks* It's one of Mokona's secret techniques. She also says to not forget to leave your loving reviews.**_

_**Me: *still running for her life* Happy reading you guys!**_

The vampire equivalent of adrenaline had been providing his body the necessary energy as he shot past the trees and vines, ducking under low branches and jumping over jutting roots. He had to get to the entrance to _Magihidusi_ before his pursuers caught up with him. His heightened senses could hear them racing after him, even though he was not in their range of visibility he knew they wouldn't have problem catching up with him if he were to slow down.

Exposing this world's safe haven for his kind to those hunters wasn't what he had in mind either so he'd have to find a quick way in. He knew his magic was still being repressed by whatever drugs they had put in him. He could still feel it burning in his blood. But thankfully his vampire side made up for the lack of magic. That was probably the only reason why he was out here right now and not chained in one of those torture chambers.

He came to a halt outside a crumbling door frame with the door missing. Part of the wall it was affixed to had given way long ago, now leaving only a pile of rubble in its place. But the part that was still standing was strong enough to support the rotting frame. Mumbling under his breath, Fai raced right through it, frowning when the scenery around him did not change from the jungle of gnarled, twisted trees trunks and sad, crumbling ruins to that of a dark tunnel.

"Damn it." He hissed, turning on his heels to look at the door frame through slitted, golden eyes. "It won't work …unless I can access my magic…"

Drawing a deep breath he dug deep within himself, hoping to draw upon some hidden reserves of his magic not yet sealed away by those hunters' suppressant. But all he came upon was an inky, black emptiness.

"Shit," he coughed a bit of blood falling to his knees as the sounds of his pursuers drew closer to where he was.

"There he is!" he heard a yell and struggled to push himself back on his feet. He couldn't let them catch him. He'd have to find some other place to hide in until the effects of the drug wore off. Then he'd return here and seek help from the Oracle of _Magihidusi_ to do what he had stayed behind to do in the first place.

His resolve strengthening, he staggered a couple of feet from where he had fallen but the adrenaline was wearing off by now. His tortured and sleep deprived body had been pushed to its limit and was now simply refusing to help him any further as exhaustion began to overwhelm him.

"I am so screwed." He mumbled, feeling the sharp, numbing sensation of something lodging itself into his right leg before the pain began to spread as blood poured from the wound and poison began to seep into his muscles, paralyzing him.

The group of ten hunters was upon him in less than a minute, attacking him with brutal kicks and punches, his paralyzed body unable to move as he was beaten. His eyes widened in shock as a steel toed boot connected with one of his arms and he felt the bone snap with an audible crack, yet no sounds escaped his lips.

In the distance, hidden behind a cloak of the strange grey-shadowed darkness that the trees provided, a pair of violet eyes observed everything from within the hood of a grey cloak. The eyes turned misty and glazed over as the hunters dragged the beaten, barely conscious blond towards a pair of horses and tied his arms to the back of one.

The blond hung limply like a rag doll as the horse took a couple of steps back and the rope loosened a little. The cloaked figure merged back with the shadows as the hunters dragged the mage back towards the _Metropolis_.

-0-

"_Wow," Fai exclaimed in barely concealed amazement as they passed through the rotting door frame and emerged inside what appeared to be a magnificent tunnel, lit by torches places in brackets along the length of it at a distance of every few feet._

_The archeologist in Syaoran itched to examine the carvings lining the entirety of the walls but he suppressed that feeling when he noticed his companions head towards the end of the tunnel where it seemed to be opening up into a cavern of some sorts. He could see people bustling about, going about their daily lives._

_The injured girl in Kurogane's arm stirred a little but did not wake. Looking over his shoulder, he noticed that he could not see the entrance to the tunnel. Nothing but darkness was present where there should have been that rotting wooden frame._

_As soon as they stepped past the dark threshold of the tunnel and into the comparatively brightly lit cavern, the people closest to them, stopped to turn and look at them through guarded eyes. Syaoran noticed that the area the tunnel had led to was a market place of sorts with wooden and metal poles holding up tents that housed the stalls of various vendors._

_The cavern itself was at least a couple of hundred feet tall, if not more and several times that number in width and breadth. In the very centre, near the roof top, he spotted a crystal of sorts, providing the yellow glow that lit the space like a miniature sun._

_As a group of men armed with staffs began advancing towards them, Syaoran felt his companions slide into defensive stances with him following suit seconds later._

"_What business do you have here strangers?" the tallest man, apparently the leader, asked in a rough manner as he stepped forward, the lower end of his staff colliding with the floor in a threatening gesture. A crowd began forming a little distance behind the men._

"_Oh god!" before any of them could answer him, a woman in the crowd gasped loudly. "It's Violetta!"_

_Hearing this, the leader let out a snarl, immediately going on the offensive as he swung his staff and a bright beam of pale purple energy seemed to shoot in the direction of the three dimension travelers._

_Fai brought up his own hand in a sweeping motion to erect a shield that deflected the attack. Seeing their leader's attack dissipate into thin air, the other men sprang into action, swinging their staffs in the group's direction, several beams of crackling pale purple energy heading their way._

"_Stop!" a calm authoritative voice rang out across the cavern and immediately the guards- that is what Syaoran assumed the armed men to be- stood down, their attacks fizzling out on the shield Fai had erected. _

_A low murmur began to ring throughout the crowd before sounds of shuffling feet reached the group's ears. Warily turning their heads in that direction, they noticed that the crowd had parted to make way for someone. "As the commander asked you before strangers," a tall, lithe figure stepped through the crowd and into their line of vision, "what business do you have here?"_

_This newcomer had his head bowed, his features hidden behind slightly long, dark yet unruly bangs, but he exuded an aura of incredible power. Something almost similar to what Syaoran was sure he had felt in the presence of the dimensional witch or that mirror-seer._

"_Are you Blaze-san?" Fai inquired politely as he stepped in front of Kurogane and Syaoran, partially in an indication for them to let him do the talking and partially in an attempt to be able to counter any offensive moves sent their way by this newcomer._

"_Who wishes to know?" the newcomer questioned in a calm tone and Syaoran for a moment thought he saw a flicker of recognition across Fai's face._

"_Fai D Flourite," Fai gave a small flourishing bow as he introduced himself, "High Mage of the Royal Court of Celes at your service."_

_Hearing Fai's formal tone, Syaoran wondered just who exactly this person was. For Fai to be showing him this level of respect meant he had to be someone important and probably someone Fai knew of. His musings were cut short when the man lifted his head and the teen caught his first glimpse of the others face. Prepared as he was for this, he was definitely not expecting this person to be younger than Fai, even if he _was_ a few years older than Syaoran himself._

"_A dimension traveler," The young man said with a small nod. The age factor wasn't really what had startled him however. The thing that really threw him off was the pair of sparkless, grey eyes staring right through the blond mage. His sightless gaze flickered in Syaoran's and Kurogane's direction before moving back to Fai, "and who would those two be?"_

"_These are my companions, Syaoran Li, a renowned archeologist from Clow and Kurogane, a noble warrior of the Land of Nihon." Syaoran's brow shot up at hearing this but managed to keep the surprise from showing on his face. He had never been the archeologist in Clow. It was his father and cloned-self from the warped timeline that had been in that profession. _

"_A bit far from home, are you not, High Mage?" the grey-eyed teen questioned lightly._

"_I have travelled much further, Oracle." Fai responded in an equally light yet formal tone confirming Syaoran's earlier suspicion of the magician knowing the teen._

"_I can tell." The young man, Oracle, as Fai had addressed him, replied in a humorous tone. "Commander, order your men to stand down," he ordered, turning his sightless gaze towards the leader of the group of armed men, "These travelling mages mean no harm. Please bring Violetta to the healing chambers, Masooma will oversee her treatment."_

_With a brisk nod, the commander stepped forward and took the unconscious girl from Kurogane, turning on his heels as he raced down one of the many streets branching off the mouth of from the part of the market where they stood. The rest of the crowd dissipated slowly upon hearing the Oracle deem the dimension travelers harmless._

"_It has been a while, hasn't it?" the Oracle grinned at Fai, once they were alone._

"_It has been indeed," Fai replied, dropping the formalities as his trademark grin returning to his face, "Though I must say. I didn't expect to run into _you_, here of all places."_

"_Knowing me," the Oracle laughed, confusing Syaoran and -judging from the expression on his mentor's face- Kurogane to no end, "you should have come to expect it, Fai."_

_**A/N: So I wonder who this Oracle is. And how does Fai know him? What's going to happen to Fai now that he's back in the hunters' clutches? Tune in next time to find out.**_

_**Till then. Ciao!**_


	6. Beaten

_**A/N: Here's the next chapter with some M-rated torture and some not so M-rated flashbacks. *shot* Ahem. What I meant to say was, like I mentioned last time, the torture due to its graphic nature is an M-rated scene just to be on the safe side. If you do not have the stomach for such, please scroll down to the flashback part that I have marked in big bold letters. ;)**_

_**Now, Enjoy!**_

He came to with a confused groan; blinking a couple of times as his brain grew coherent enough take in his surroundings.

He was lying on his back, on some sort of hard surface. He shivered slightly as a cold, chilly wind attacked the exposed flesh of his torso, a high window to his right being the source of the incoming air, also serving as the only source that was illuminating the room by allowing the silvery rays of the moon to filter inside.

His right leg throbbed painfully as did the back of his head. It seemed to have taken quite a hit and it definitely hurt like hell. In fact, his whole body ached like it had been trampled by a raging stampede of the vicious Northern Blue Bulls. Every cell of his body screamed in protest as he tried to move his limbs. Judging from the size of the waning moon visible through the bars of his jail cell, he'd say it was his fifth day of captivity, and so far he had neither been fed, nor given any water.

Almost as though hearing his thoughts, the door to his dungeon opened and six burly-looking men who were probably all muscle and no brains stepped inside. A tall, slender-looking female with deathly pale skin and charcoal colored eyes strutted right after them. A sadistic sort of smile adorned her otherwise pretty features, making her look cruel and demented with that crazed gleam in her eyes.

"Despite what you did to our guards," she spoke in a soft tone, the sound of her voice sending an involuntary shudder racing down Fai's spine, "we are not barbaric enough to starve you." She informed him, but something in the manner she looked at him made the blond magician think that this was definitely not a good thing.

He tried to struggle to his feet but the woman merely chuckled at him as she stepped closer towards him. She kicked at his trembling arm with her pointed shoe, making him fall face down on the dirt-ridden floor. The woman threw her head back in laughter when Fai shot her a venomous glare, her pale hair gleaming in the moonlight, almost looking like spun threads of silver.

"Such hatred," she giggled, looking over her shoulder at the men that had accompanied her. "Boys?"

Before he could even register what was happening, four of the men were upon him, throwing him roughly down on his back. They then moved to his arms and legs, pulling them outwards till he was in a spread-eagled position, before proceeding to stand on his limbs. Fai's eyes widened in shock as the pain this rough treatment caused to his damaged limb registered in his mind. He barely managed to keep himself from screaming.

_**Note: Read the following scene at own risk!**_

Something was thrust under his neck, making his head rise from the floor as rough hands grasped the sides of his head. The last man callously grabbed his jaw and pried his mouth open. Fai struggled to get it to close, his limbs flailing in an attempt to get free but all that did was jostle his broken arm and further agitate the bullet digging into the flesh of his leg.

A stick almost as large as a belaying pin was shoved into his jaws, thrusting them apart even further without the man needing to hold them anymore.

"I'm pretty sure you are thirsty," the woman crooned as she sat down next to him, picking up a pitcher filled with some sort of liquid that sloshed as she moved it. "So, how about something to drink first, hmm?" Smiling as he merely glared back at her, she brought it over his mouth, almost a foot away from the ground where he lay. "Now be a good boy and make sure you don't spill any. After all," her smile widened, "this is the only time we'll be allowing you to have something to drink and eat. A creature like you is lucky to even receive the few chances we are willing to grant you."

Without any further warning, she tilted the pitcher, pouring the water onto his face, down his throat and nose. Unable to move his head away from under the water, thanks to the man holding his head, he thrashed weakly, jostling his injured limbs as his lungs burnt from the lack of oxygen. The water travelled down his throat into his stomach, threatening to freeze his insides as the darkness threatened to consume him. He gasped for air but all that filled his lungs was water.

When he was about to pass out, the woman stopped, watching him with a satisfied grin as he panted pathetically. His stomach was filled to its limit, almost to the point of bursting and he couldn't help the whimper that escaped his lips.

"It appears to me that he is not yet satisfied," she chuckled, "how about we make space for some more?"

A harsh blow to his stomach made him cough and splutter as bile rose to his mouth, burning his throat as the acidic water spilled through his parted jaws and to the floor. Tears of pain flowed down his cheeks as he was hit several times in his tender stomach before the woman returned with a refilled pitcher of water.

"Thirsty?" she grinned widely at him as she tilted the pitcher once again.

As his consciousness began to slip away, he felt like a man who was drowning, yet could not drown.

-0-

_**FLASHBACK:**_

"_Oye! Mage, mind telling us what the heck is going on here? Who is this guy?" Kurogane finally decided to interrupt their conversation when it seemed as though the magician had forgotten all about his companions._

"_Oh. Right," the blond gave them a sheepish grin as he scratched the back of his head. "Guys, this is the Oracle." He said, introducing the dark haired man. "Who also goes by the name of Nixon Blaze."_

"_And how exactly do you know this guy?" Kurogane narrowed his eyes at the seemingly blind kid. His eyes were sightless, that was for sure, but the way he carried himself did not hint at any such handicaps. He did not carry around a cane for support for one thing._

"_He came to the court as a part of a delegate back in Celes." Fai answered cheerfully. _

"_Speaking of delegates, I heard you mention Masooma-chan. Is she here as well?" Fai directed this last part at Blaze._

"_Yeah, she's here." The addressee nodded, his smile turning somewhat sad as he said that. "But she's changed."_

"_Changed?" Fai cocked his head in confusion as they followed the Oracle down the winding streets of the underground settlement with brick houses and apartments lining a major portion of them. Near the center, however stood a larger pyramid-like structure which was at least seven stories high, towering over everything else. All streets seemed to lead to his structure from what Syaoran could glean of the architectural layout of the settlement. _

"_This world isn't exactly what you can call _safe_ for our kind." He explained as he led them towards the pyramidical structure. "I'm sure you noticed that much when you ran into Violetta."_

"_Yeah," Kurogane decided to once again join the conversation as Syaoran took in the sights around them. "What the heck was that all about?"_

"_The history of this world is a dark one," he answered cryptically, "how about you freshen up before I indulge you in that?"_

"_Oracle-san-" Syaoran started only to be cut off by the brunette in question._

"_Nixon is fine by me." he smiled politely at the amber-eyed boy, "I don't care much for that title if you know what I mean."_

"_Alright, um… Nixon-san-" he started only to be interrupted by a surprised gasp._

"_F-Fai? Is that you?"_

_**A/N: And that's it for now. I hope you enjoyed it. Next time, we'll get to see what's happening with Syaoran.**_

_**If you have any questions or comments, feel free to let me know. **_


	7. Bleeding

_**A/N: Once again, due to the slightly graphic and bloody nature of the torture scene, I'll advise the weak-hearted to proceed with caution. I'll put up a warning for you guys to skip over that scene if you want. Apart from that, I only have one word to say to you all.**_

_**Enjoy!**_

_He was still being held down, though now they had removed the stick from his jaws. His stomach was bruised and it hurt to breathe but apparently, they were not yet done with him._

"_I hope that quenched your thirst, boy." The woman smiled a sick smile as she traced his jaw line with her wicked nails. Her dark eyes glinted with malice as she purred softly, "Now all that's left is your food."_

"_Go… to… hell…" he rasped weakly, his throat raw from all the acidic bile that he had been forced to vomit for the past couple of hours. They must have done that to him at least five times, waiting for him to wake up whenever he passed out from the lack of oxygen, so he could not be sure but it could have taken longer._

_The woman merely gave him her sickly-sweet smile, venom dripping from her honeyed tone as she spoke "Let's see how long you can retain that attitude, boy."_

_**(TORTURE SCENE! PROCEED AT OWN RISK.)**_

_The man moved back to his side to grasp his aching jaw as he pried his mouth open once more. A thick, plastic pipe, probably thicker than his nostril was shoved into his mouth and down his throat but it was too big and refused to go down. Tears of pain prickled his eyes and streamed down his cheeks as the man did not relent, pushing the pipe further in. _

_Blood came gushing out of his nose and filled his mouth with its tangy flavor as they applied more force. Syaoran would have screamed as he felt his cartilage crack under the pressure, but could not with the pipe stuck in his mouth. He could not breathe as they pushed it further and further inside his body through his esophagus. He wheezed like a drowning man, unable to breathe in or out, his lungs feeling ready to burst._

_The woman merely cackled crazily, her cool, soft fingers wiping off one of the tears from his cheek as she brought it to her lips. Licking it softly, she grinned down at him. "This is just the beginning." She told him as the pipe finally reached his stomach._

_Once the plastic tube stopped moving, he was able to resume breathing, painfully and carefully._

_A funnel was placed at the end of the pipe jutting from his bleeding mouth before the woman picked up a bowl of some sort of dark greenish-brown slop that she poured into the pipe through the cone. Feeling like retching at the foul odor it gave of, Syaoran began to choke as it started coming back up but the woman merely laughed at that._

_The men held him down for another hour or so as the slop was absorbed by his stomach, so that he could not vomit it back up before they began pulling the pipe out slowly, yet not the least bit gently. Syaoran felt himself slipping into a state of half consciousness half shock as whatever it was that was in the slop began to affect his senses._

_The last thing he heard before he was completely consumed by the darkness was a soft giggle that strangely enough, reminded him of Sakura._

_**(END OF TORTURE FOR LITTLE WOLF;) )**_

-0-

Syaoran woke to the sensation of soft, cool fingers gently massaging his throat as a foul tasting concoction trickled down his throat. His body grew rigid as his eyes snapped open. Even though he was still very weak, his hand shot out to capture the thin wrist belonging to the person currently making him swallow the poisonous drink as he spat out whatever it was.

Before him stood the princess, dressed in a pale pink dress, one of her slender hands holding on to a mug which probably held the blend she had been forcing down his throat.

"What are you trying to give me now, Hime?" he hissed venomously, his throat aching as he spoke, the foul taste in his mouth making him slightly sick. "More poison? Haven't you enjoyed that enough? I thought you'd have come up with something new by now."

"S-Syaoran," Sakura looked at him through wide-jade colored eyes. Shock displayed across her features clearly, but Syaoran knew it was just another trick. His grip on her hand tightened and she winced, "Sy-Syaoran, you're hurting me."

"Am I?" he narrowed his eyes, tightening his grip even further before rough hands grabbed his arm and wrenched his hand away from the princess's wrist.

"Kid," Kurogane growled, surprised to see the teen act in this manner. Just a few hours ago, he had been trying to get away from them, begging them not to hurt him, but now he was the violent one. "What the heck do you think you're doing?"

"You don't scare me, Kurogane-san," Syaoran replied angrily as he struggled to free himself from the red-eyed man's grip. Despite his enraged appearance, the ninja could detect hints of fear flashing across Syaoran's features as the boy's eyes kept darting to the hand that held his arm. "I-I'm not scared of you. Now let me the hell go!" he cried, kicking out with his right leg all of a sudden but unlike the last time, Kurogane was much better prepared. Evading the attack, he swiftly moved forward and pinned the chocolate-haired man to the bed.

"Hime," he barked at the jade-eyed girl, startling her and making her jump, "give it to him."

"H-Hai," she nodded, swiftly moving to his side as Syaoran tried to throw the older man off of him.

"Let me go!" he cried, shaking his head to keep her from pouring the liquid in his mouth as he pursed his lips. Sakura looked helplessly at Kurogane who was finding it somewhat difficult to hold the boy down without hurting him further. He did not want a repeat of earlier where the boy had broken his arm by trying to hit him.

"Pinch his nose," he growled, throwing his entire weight on top of the teen to keep him from moving, hating every second of it. But they had to give him the medicine. Sakura had found some sort of toxin in his blood and it was trying to destroy his body from the inside. If they didn't do something about it, Syaoran was never going to recover.

With crystal tears streaming down her cheeks, Sakura did as instructed, whispering a soft "I'm so sorry, Syaoran."

The boy tried to hold his breath, refusing to give in till his lips started turning blue. Watching him scrunch his eyes, as he struggled not to breathe made Sakura rethink her decision. She was just about to let go when he opened his mouth with a loud gasp, tears of helplessness and fear prickling his eyes as Sakura poured the medicine in his mouth. Keeping his nose covered, she forced him to swallow it, looking away as with a quiet sob as he looked at her with nothing but betrayal flashing in his eyes.

"No you're not, Hime." He whispered brokenly. "None of you are." He didn't struggle anymore after that, though it still took another ten minutes for the medicine to take effect on him.

His breathing slowed down as he slipped into a somewhat fitful sleep, soft whimpers escaping his lips as he furrowed his brows in discomfort. Sakura fell to her knees right by his bedside, heart wrenching sobs shaking her small frame as Kurogane climbed off the unconscious boy.

Clenching his fists in helplessness and anger, the ninja turned on his heels and swiftly vacated the room, walking out on the balcony.

-0-

_Rubbing her eyes, Sakura sat up. Gingerly looking around, she noticed she was in the dream world, but as far as she could tell, no one else was here but her. The soft pale pink petals of her namesake caressed her bare arms and cheeks as she walked around the blank emptiness._

_After almost half an hour of walking around and not finding anything, she headed back to the place where she had first woke up, stopping in her tracks when she noticed an orange, flame-like aura emerge in this world. The owner seemed powerful. Almost as powerful as the dimensional witch._

"_Ah, Princess," the man, who seemed close to Fai's age, turned around to flash a smile in her direction. "Greetings."_

"_Do I know you?" she narrowed her eyes slightly in suspicion. She had never seen this man before, and she could not recall Sakura-san having ever met him before either._

"_No," he shook his head, sending a mop of messy black hair flying every which way. "But I know you." He smiled at her. She could tell that his grey eyes were unfocused and were looking right through her, yet somehow, she knew that he knew where she was. "I brought you here because I need to talk to you."_

"_Talk to me? About what?" _

"_How about I tell you who I am first?" he said calmly, though she could sense his amusement. "My name is Nixon Blaze, and I'm-"_

"_The Oracle!" Sakura blurted out, her eyes widening in surprise. The grey-eyed man chuckled when she flushed in embarrassment, realizing that she had cut him off._

"_It's alright." He laughed, "although that is not what I was about to say. I was going to tell you that I am a good friend of Fai. I never really cared for my title, so you can call me Nixon."_

"_S-Sorry." She bowed her head in apology, "Kurogane-san told me about you."_

"_Ah," he nodded, his expression growing serious after a while, "Princess Sakura, have you gone through Syaoran's memories of his time in captivity yet?"_

"_H-his memories?" she repeated dumbly before shaking her head. "No. I-I didn't think about that."_

"_Hmm… I wouldn't have expected you to, you were a lot more worried about him in general, am I right?"_

"_H-hai."_

"_Here." He held out his hand, palm upside. A small, fiery-colored bead rested in it, the colors swirling and shifting like burning fire, but when Sakura picked it up, it was cool as ice. "You're going to need this when you do."_

"_What is it?" she asked, looking back at the dark haired man._

"_It's an extract of a powerful magical essence." He replied. "I wish I could have given you more but that is not possible for me."_

"_Arigato, Nixon-san." she smiled softly before remembering something. "Do you know if Fai-san is alright? Is he with you? Why didn't he come along?"_

_Nixon's expression darkened as he looked away. "No. He is not."_

"_Y-you mean…"_

"_The hunters have him."_

_**A/N: I hope you found this a good read. Please drop me a review and let me know. Till next time.**_

_**Ja!**_


	8. Bereft

_**A/N: *sigh* I'm supposed to be studying for my exam right now you know. *smacks head against the laptop* seriously, the stupid bunny dubbed as Ruthless-chan by one of my friends refused to leave me alone till I wrote this down so be happy. And leave lots of reviews for the stupid thing to feed on so it would leave me alone till Monday.**_

_**Anyhow, go ahead and enjoy!**_

"Kurogane-san…" it was nighttime and the red-eyed ninja was slouched over the railing lining the balcony of the room Syaoran was being kept in. He cast a glance in the auburn-haired princess's direction as she stepped next to him, her hands nervously fidgeting with the hem of her shirt. "I just met Nixon-san in my dream."

"The Oracle?" he cocked a brow.

"Hai," she nodded, looking out at the night sky, "He said something that has me thinking and…" she kept playing with her shirt, unsure of how he would react to what she had in mind. But then she thought back to how Syaoran was acting towards them and her resolve hardened. It hurt her to think about it, but it was obvious he did not trust them enough to tell them about what had happened to him. Deciding on what she was going to do, she continued, "I have decided to look through Syaoran's memories."

"Are you sure?"

"To tell you the truth," she bit her lip, still looking out at the dark sky, "I'm kind of scared of what I might see but… Syaoran… he is afraid of us. Whatever those people did to him… H-he doesn't trust us anymore."

"He won't tell us anything himself," Kurogane nodded in understanding.

"But we need to know what happened to him."

"When do you plan on doing it?" he asked simply, already accepting her decision.

"I was thinking about now." She said, looking over her shoulder at the sleeping figure inside the room. "He's already asleep so it would be easier for me to get inside."

"You've been healing him for the better part of the day." Kurogane said. '_Aren't you tired?'_ he left his question unsaid, the pale bruises forming underneath the princess's eyes answering it already.

"I think I can handle it for a little while." Sakura replied, turning back to head inside.

Kurogane looked back at the twinkling stars in the sky one more time before following her inside. Sakura had already seated herself on the bed, placing Syaoran's head in her lap, the palms of her hands resting against his temples. She closed her eyes and a soft, pink glow enveloped her hands. The glow began seeping inside Syaoran's head as Kurogane stood off to one side and watched the princess work.

A frown began forming on her face, beads of perspiration dotting her brow as she bit her lip, scrunching eyes in concentration. A few more minutes passed by before she let her concentration break and the glow receded.

"I don't get it." her frown deepened.

"What happened?"

"Syaoran-san is keeping me from looking at Syaoran's memories," she replied, letting her right hand fall to her side.

"You mean the other kid?" Kurogane's brow rose. He had not known that the other Syaoran's spirit was active inside the boy's body. Was it the same for the princess?

"Yes." She nodded, looking down at Syaoran's face. His brows were scrunched up against whatever nightmares plagued him. "Syaoran-san… he's blocking my spell." Sakura closed her eyes, fingers gently tangling themselves in the unconscious boy's hair.

"Why?" Kurogane asked, choosing not to comment on her behavior.

"I can't tell."

"Is there any way to get past him?"

For a while, Sakura remained silent as she continued playing with Syaoran's hair, seemingly thinking something over.

"There has never been a case before, like Syaoran and I, so…" she bit her lip when the boy whimpered, turning his head away from her, uttering a soft 'no' as he did. "I don't know of any spells that could be used to break the shield that he put up."

"But?" The ninja could tell there was more to it, seeing the way she seemed to be fidgeting.

"Kurogane-san," she finally raised her head to look the man in the eye, "do you trust him?"

"The Oracle," seeing the confusion in his eyes, she clarified, "Nixon-san, I mean. Do you trust him?"

Thinking over everything that he and his companion's had gone through while in the company of the blind man he frowned, "He's like the Mage. The bastard has his share of secrets and he sure as hell was adamant about not leaving that place, but the Mage trusted him. The kid did too."

"And you?"

"Why are you asking me all this?"

"Somehow, he knew that this might happen." She replied, her gaze returning to the pained visage of the one she loved. "There is no way past Syaoran-san's shield. The only way for anyone to look at Syaoran's memories is if Syaoran-san is no longer inside him."

"What? If you already knew that, why the heck did you try to look through his memories?"

"I wanted to confirm what Nixon-san said," she replied, her hands stilling. The air before her began to shimmer softly, distorting and bending till a small orb, the size of a bead, formed in the air before her. Kurogane could sense strong waves of magic coming off of it but there was nothing malicious about it. "He gave me something to solve that problem but… Syaoran-san's soul has bonded with Syaoran's body just like Sakura-san's has with mine."

"What would happen to them if they get separated?"

"Ordinarily, separating a soul from a body is not possible. It would fade away the minute it was brought out of its bonded body, however," Sakura plucked the hovering orb out of the air, laying it the upturned palm of her hand, "this bead is made up entirely from a part of a sacred aura. This can sustain his soul and keep it from fading away if we separate the two. But it's not enough to hold him infinitely."

"I see. And what about this kid?"

"Nixon-san didn't say. But he wants us to send Syaoran-san to Fai when we remove him from Syaoran. That world has more of this essence, so Syaoran-san won't fade away until we get there."

"What do you mean, we?" the red-eyed man was immediately on guard. Was the princess planning on tagging _along_?

"Those hunters have Fai-san. Nixon-san cannot leave that city nor can he send someone to rescue him. But we can't leave him there."

"And we won't." Kurogane responded, "But it's too dangerous. You're not coming."

"You don't have to worry about protecting me, Kurogane-san." The princess responded quietly, her green eyes hardening like jade. "I have been training under Touya-nii-san for almost three years now. I won't become a liability to you."

"Why does he want you to send the kid to the Mage?"

"Arigato, Kurogane-san," she smiled softly, noticing that the red-eyed man had not refused her again. "I'm not sure what to make of it, but he said '_Syaoran-san would help anchor Fai-san to reality.'"_

"Are you going to do it then?"

"Syaoran is so afraid of us." She murmured, her eyes softening as she looked at his sleeping face once again. "I want for him to be able to look at us without fear. I want him to let us help him, but how can I want all that when I don't even know what's wrong with him? If separating Syaoran-san from Syaoran is the only way I can do that then…" Sakura slipped out from underneath the brunette, settling his head gently on the pillow before bringing the flame-colored bead over Syaoran's chest. She cupped her hand on top of it to keep the ball from rolling off of his sweat-drenched bandages. "Please forgive me for doing this without your permission, Syaoran-san." She apologized quietly before flattening her palm over his heart. A bright glow enveloped her hand before melting off of it and into the bead as she removed her hand. It pulsed softly before sinking through the soiled gauze and into the unconscious boy's chest.

As soon as the last bit of the bead had disappeared in his body, Syaoran's muscles tensed up, his breathing speeding up as a fiery red glow, the same shade as the orb, enveloped him. The boy's eyes snapped wide open, pupils dilated as he arched off the bed, his back contorting almost painfully.

He panted, having trouble drawing in a proper breath as crimson began to dot the white gauze wrapped around his torso. All of a sudden, as though the invisible power holding him off the bed had disappeared, he fell back in a limp heap, panting heavily as he clenched the sheets in his fist.

A couple of seconds later, his body began to convulse again as he threw his head back in soundless scream.

"Fuck!" The ninja swore loudly as he made to grab the boy, only to be stopped by the princess.

"Don't touch him!" She flung herself at his outstretched arm inches from the boy's writhing body.

"What the heck is happening to him?"

"Their souls are being separated." She answered as she buried her face in the ninja's shirt. "You shouldn't touch him. Your soul can interfere with the spell." Somehow Kurogane knew she was quoting what the Oracle had told her. But knowing better than to mess with spells, he settled on patting the sobbing princess on the back as he watched his student thrash in bed in agony.

Kurogane almost let go of the girl in his arms and race to the brunette's side as his body seemed to set alight on a magical flame. He let out a heart-wrenching scream before falling limp as the fire died down, leaving a pure, snow-white feather in its place, hovering above the unmoving boy.

The feather floated away a few seconds later but Kurogane couldn't tear his eyes away from the sight of the teen. It took him a few more precious seconds to realize what was wrong with the picture though.

"Shit!" swearing angrily, he let go of Sakura, rushing to the boy's side. "Shit. Shit." Cursing profanely, he reached for Syaoran's neck.

"K-Kurogane-san?" the princess asked in a confused voice at the same time as a familiar voice yelled in anger.

"_Get away from him!"_

"S-Syaoran-san." Sakura breathed, making the red-eyed man to whirl around.

It was the kid. But he looked nothing like the shy, gentle and eager boy he had travelled with, or the determined one who searched for the feathers. Heck, he wasn't even anything like the one who had left them all in Tokyo.

Oh, Kurogane could spot determination in that amber-eyed gaze, but the cold fury burning in those hardened orbs was like something he had never seen before. He almost preferred the emotionless, mindless look of the clone instead of the one he was currently receiving.

"_I said…"_ Syaoran growled deep in his throat, _"Get. The. Fuck… AWAY FROM HIM!"_ without a warning, the brunette rushed at the ninja, his leg poised to kick the older man right in the chest. Too surprised by the other's sudden reaction, it took Kurogane a while to realize that the teen was attacking him.

"Syaoran-san!" Sakura cried as Kurogane jumped away from Syaoran's bed to block the incoming kick.

It was the strangest thing he had felt in his entire life, like he had just walked through a sheet of freezing water. Only he did not get wet. The crimson-eyed ninja whirled around to see his livid student try and attack him again. He managed to dodge the attack this time, deciding he did _not_ like the sensation of his student's spirit passing through his body.

"_Haven't you two had enough fun with him?"_ Syaoran snarled, attacking again and again. _"He never did anything to deserve your hatred."_

"Syaoran-san, stop!" Sakura cried, rushing in front of the ninja, her arms outstretched sideways as she looked at him.

"_Despite everything that you did to him,"_ the brunette lowered his leg as he stopped it inches from the jade-eyed princess's face, "_I don't want to hit you, Hime. Step out of the way."_

"It wasn't us." She shook her head. "Believe me. We didn't do this."

Behind them, Kurogane moved back to the boy lying on the bed.

"_Stay away from him!"_

Ignoring the yell, Kurogane, rested his hand on the brunette's neck, feeling for his pulse. "Oye, Hime! Get over here." He grunted, raising his hand to Syaoran's nose to feel him breathe. "Fuck! The kid isn't breathing."

_**A/N: I'm evil, I know. I left you guys hanging on a cliffie but I like it so :P**_

_**Just be grateful I updated. I'm in a rather irritable mood today but I'd still like to hear your thoughts on this. What do you think of Nixon? Why does he refuse to send someone to rescue Fai? How is Syaoran's (cloney) soul help anchor Fai to reality? Wonder what went wrong with R Syaoran. Is he dead already? ;) tell me what you think and help feed Ruthless the vicious plotbunny.**_

_**-Ja**_


	9. Bruised

_**A/N: Vacations! **_

_**Or a two week semester break.**_

_**Either ways, I have holidays and you guys are in for a treat. ;)**_

_**Enjoy!**_

"_F-Fai? Is that you?"_

_Before any of them could react, a blur of black and red had crashed into the mage, tackling him to the ground. "It's you! It's really you!" Kurogane and Syaoran stared at the girl… um, woman that was currently holding the magician down, grinning ear to ear as she touched his face._

"_Masooma-chan!" Fai merely laughed in response._

"_Aww, how cute," Nixon spoke with a sly grin as he turned his sightless gaze in the direction of the couple on the floor, "A lover's reunion. Though shouldn't you two be getting reacquainted in a more private setting? Not been in each other's company for more than two seconds and you two are already at it. Fai, I thought you might have had the decency to not do anything in front of your friends."_

"_Oh, shut it, Nixon," the woman that Fai had addressed as Masooma snapped at the Oracle as pink dusted her cheeks. "You're just jealous that I still like Fai more than I like you."_

"_You _should_ get off of him you know," Nixon pretended not to have hear her, "or else with all the weight that you've put on since coming here, the poor guy will be crushed to death."_

"_Nixon," Masooma growled in a low tone reminding Syaoran of a female version of Kurogane. "I suggest you better run."_

"_And leave our guests in your less than capable hands?" the Oracle teased in an unperturbed tone._

"_Guests?" it was then that she noticed Fai's two companions standing a couple of feet from them. The change in her was immediate. Her eyes widened slightly at the sight of Kurogane's face as she paled a little, hurriedly climbing off of Fai as she stepped away from them and moved closer to Nixon, standing a little behind him as a child might when meeting a stranger._

_Syaoran noticed the smile slip off Fai's face as it was replaced by a look of confusion. Apparently, that reaction had not been something he had been expecting from the woman._

_Syaoran looked back at the girl, who was still staring at Kurogane in fear. His mentor looked unhappy as well, frowning openly as he tried to puzzle out why the girl had such a violent reaction to him._

"_Nixon, his eyes are _red._" Syaoran heard her whisper to the Oracle urgently as she gripped his forearm._

"_Masooma-chan, what's wrong?" Fai climbed to his feet, stepping closer to the girl and in front of his companions to block her view of them. So he had noticed the cause of her distress as well._

"_Why is that man with you?" she asked in a slightly hysterical voice. "Where did you meet him?"_

"_You mean Kurogane?" Fai looked over his shoulder, conveying an 'I'm-not-sure-what-this-is-about-either' look to the confused ninja._

"_Why is he with you, Fai?" she asked, her voice steadily growing louder._

"_Masooma," Nixon cut in before the magician could get a word out, making the girl look at him. "Calm down. He is not who you think he is."_

"_He's not?" she let her gaze drift back in Kurogane's direction once more, the fear still present in her eyes._

"_No, he's not." Nixon shook his head, "do you honestly believe I'd let those bastards roam so freely around here?"_

"_But… his eyes." She spoke weakly._

"_Masooma, he is _not_ one of them." He said firmly, gripping the girl's hand, "That man is Fai's inter-dimensional travelling companion. He's a ninja from ancient Japan, not a hunter."_

"_A ninja?" Masooma's brows shot up in surprise, the look of fear instantly vanishing as she looked back at him but this time her feature carrying nothing but pure amazement. "That is so cool!" she hopped back towards the magician, her grin plastered back on her face and for a split second Syaoran wondered if the look of fear had just been his imagination. "You're acquainted with ninjas now."_

"_Oh, so knowing _The Oracle_ isn't cool anymore?" Nixon quipped in a hurt tone, "First I lost to Fai and now a ninja? I'm so crushed."_

"_Eh... You'll get over it." Fai laughed good-naturedly as Masooma observed Kurogane and him._

"_Oye, Fai," she hissed quietly, but her voice still carried over to Syaoran, "Who's the cute brunette beside your ninja friend?"_

_Hearing her words, Syaoran felt heat rise to his cheeks. _

"_Hmm? Cute brunette?" Fai repeated in a louder voice, making Kurogane smirk as he looked at his blushing apprentice while the magician grinned slyly. "Oh, that's Syaoran-kun. He's an archeologist from Clow. Syaoran-kun, Kuro-tan," the mage turned his attention to his companions now, "meet Masooma-chan, a brilliant witch and healer, and my personal apprentice."_

"You_ took on an apprentice?" Kurogane shot Fai a look of disbelief._

"_I used to be High Mage of the Celesian court, you know," Fai said in a mock offensive tone, "Of course I took on an apprentice."_

"_And I can assure you, it wasn't easy." Masooma said, punching him lightly in the arm. "His tests were ten times harder than the ones the Ashura-ou himself designed. But I guess I was too smart, even for him." She added with a haughty look._

"_Only because you got Nixon to help you out with one of the tasks." Fai's response to that statement made Syaoran wonder if this was how the magician used to behave in Celes. The memories he remembered being shown at the castle when they had gone to recover Sakura-hime's body, had contained nothing but a lonely, serious albeit brilliant teenager. There had been no signs of these supposedly close friends of his._

"_Well, you never _did_ specify that I couldn't get help from the Oracle."_

"_Because that was supposed to be obvious."_

"_Nope. You're just sour because you forgot to cover all the loopholes."_

_Fai opened his mouth to retort but got cut off by Nixon, "As lovely as it is to hear you two go at it after so many years of peace and quiet, I think it would be best if we moved to the quarters."_

_Masooma childishly stuck out her tongue at the Oracle before grabbing Fai's hand and dragging him along. "Later, guys. You too, Syaoran." She added with a wave._

"_Umm…" the brunette chose to lower his head and stare at the dirt under his feet. He _knew_ the look Kurogane would be giving him right about now. Damn, if only Sakura were here._

_Nixon chuckled quietly before turning his attention to them, "Shall we?"_

_After walking side by side in considerable silence for almost five minutes, Kurogane was the one who decided to break it._

"_Why the heck did she freak out like that?" Syaoran looked up to gauge the Oracle's reaction. He, too, had been quite curios as to why Masooma had reacted towards his mentor in that manner._

"_A few of the top ranking hunters have red eyes." Nixon replied calmly._

"_I take it she has had a less than pleasant run-in with those guys then?" Kurogane pressed._

"_You can say that." He said, opening the door to one of the entrances to the pyramid-like structure as he led them inside._

"_Nixon-san, what exactly are these hunters?" Syaoran asked._

"_How about you two freshen up first," Nixon responded pleasantly as he led them through various corridors before coming to a stop outside one of the doors, "Have something to eat, I'm sure Fai will have his share of questions too, so we can talk after that, alright? And I kind of need to go check on Violetta's condition."_

-0-

"You gave the Essence to that princess, didn't you?" he heard her say. Quiet footsteps approached him, before stopping next to him as their owner sat down beside him.

"I did." He replied simply, feeling the wind as it whipped about his hair and clothes.

"Why?"

"I had never met anyone like him before." He stated, gauging her aura for a reaction. She was curious and surprised. "Even though his wish broke a taboo, that boy has purest of souls. And a will border-lining stubbornness."

"I see." He felt her nod. "But do you think it was good idea? Telling that princess to use it for soul separation?"

"Syaoran doesn't deserve what those bastards did to him." He responded simply, "Just as you didn't deserve what you went through. Or Fai."

"Nixon," she started in a pleading voice, "please, we can't just leave him in that place. We have to help him."

"I know, Masooma. I know." He nodded solemnly, "but we can't do anything. We're both tied down, remember?"

"How can I forget?" She gave a bitter laugh. "I wish we had never come here in the first place."

"But we did."

"But we did." She nodded softly, getting lost in thought. "Do you think he'll survive?"

"Who?"

"Syaoran. You know better than anyone what ripping an unwilling soul from a body would do."

"It's all up to him actually." He responded calmly. "He'll pull through if he has the will to live."

"But what if they broke him?" she whispered softly, "He was in that place for _two_ months, Nixon. You remember the state you found me in after just ten days. Do you _think_ he'll have the will to live after spending sixty days in that hellhole?"

"Like I said before, Masooma," he replied, not letting any emotion leak into his tone, "that boy is not like someone I've met before. Who knows," he shrugged casually, climbing to his feet. He knew that it was time to head back downstairs now. After all, those idiot council members must be going crazy looking for the Oracle, "he might just surprise us all."

Masooma silently watched his profile retreat, disappearing down the stairs that led to the lower levels of the building.

"I sure hope so. For their sakes and ours," she sighed, looking back at the scene of the cave before her, stretching out for several hundred feet in all direction, illuminated by the soft light of the orb hanging overhead, "I sure hope your optimism isn't misplaced."

_**A/N: I know. I know. Not much Fai or Syao torture in this chapter but it was necessary to build up the story as well as provide some background on the OCs that are going to be playing a somewhat major role in this story. Next time, we all get to see what's been going on with Fai and maybe find out a bit more about Syaoran whose fate is still not clear. Is he really dead? Knowing me, I can continue the fic either way so lemme know what your guesses are. I really want to know what you guys think. **_

_**There might be a small chance that he actually comes out alive but seeing how much I love killing him (and Fai on occasion)… just tell me what your guesses are.**_

_**This is it for now. Stay tuned for the next update the date for which considering how much time I am able to spare and the state of my currently partially hibernating plot bunnies is not yet determined.**_


	10. Bruised II

_**A/N: I was planning on putting this up earlier today but then my Uncle and Aunt came for a visit and I got busy. After they left I went to visit my grandparents since today is the last day of my semester break and I'm going back to Uni tomorrow. Then I went shopping and … Err… ahem, well anyhow, I'm back now so here's the chapter you've all been waiting for. **_

_**Oh and by the way, I'll update Shattered Secrets, right after this one. ;)**_

_**Enjoy!**_

Soft warmth was spreading through his body, bringing life back to his frozen limbs. The energy that was partially rejuvenating his cells seemed to be magical. Or that was what part of his brain was telling him. The fingers splayed on his stomach felt familiar to him; oddly chilly, but familiar. The pain in his stomach had receded. The shooting spikes of pain from the bullet wound in his leg had also reduced to a mere throb, something that could easily be ignored. He tried sitting up but those familiar-fingered hands pushed him back on the flat surface.

"Don't move just yet." The voice was soft, melodic, carrying the same familiarity that exuded comfort. "I'm not done healing you yet."

"Ma-Masooma?" he croaked in a raspy voice, "how the heck did you get here?"

"That's not important at the moment, Fai," the brunette answered, her hands moving to his throat, the healing magic seeping in to repair the damaged tissues. "I can't stay for long."

"What?" he almost shot upright but fell back down when the world began swimming wildly in his vision, "Why?"

"They'll be back soon," she answered quietly, retrieving her hands as she stood up. She pulled out something from the pocket of her coat and slipped the needle beneath Fai's skin as she injected the liquid in his blood stream. Once finished, she pocketed the syringe, stepping away from him. The chilly night air hit his bare flesh and he realized with a start that he was still dressed in a pair of now torn jeans and nothing else.

"Where are you going?" he asked, reaching out with a hand to grab her wrist.

"I have to leave for now, I'll be back though, don't worry." She flashed him a smile and for a moment he could have sworn that it had been that blond, black-eyed bitch standing in place of the girl he trusted and cared for as much as he did his inter-dimensional traveling companions and one blind Oracle.

"What's going on?" he asked desperately, feeling lost and confused as her hand slipped through his fingers and she approached the metal door of the cell he was in. He tried following her but found that even though his injuries had healed greatly, he was still physically not strong enough to stand on his own.

"I can't explain right now," she explained in an apologizing tone, "but don't worry, Fai," she flashed him another smile that for some reason failed to comfort him like Masooma's smiles normally had, "I will when I come see you next time, alright?" without waiting for a response, she squeezed through the slightly opened door; but just before she vanished from his sight the image of his friend shifted into one of the woman who had tortured him till now.

A part of his brain was insistent that this was Masooma, his friend and precious person. Yet another small fraction of his mind was screaming at him that that was not true. One part urged him to trust in her completely while the other blared warning sirens telling him not to trust what he saw.

So lost was he in his internal contemplation that he failed to notice the door slide shut behind the girl that had just healed him. Only when the light overhead shut off unexpectedly, plunging him in a world of darkness, did he realize that he was alone again.

The skin on his back prickled uncomfortably, itching slightly, but he could not feel the pain that the lacerations produced from his whipping normally generated. She had healed his back as well.

_Well, Masooma _is_ one of the best healers in Celes. Of course she would have healed my back,_ he thought, feeling happy to know that she had not abandoned him.

_But how the heck did she get here? _That tiny voice that had warned him to be wary of the girl that had healed him raised the question.

_Who cares? She's here._ The trusting part of his mind replied simply. _She healed me._ A feeling of elation filled him at the thought of her caring about him enough to help him out in such a dangerous situation.

Immediately sensing something amiss with his thought process, Fai frowned. What the heck was wrong with him? This wasn't making any sense at all. For some reason he did not want to question how she had gotten there. He did not want to wonder about why she was there. All he wanted to do was feel happy that she was there. Yet at the same time, he was wary of her sudden appearance. What the heck was she doing there? _Why_ was she there? And why had she left him alone again?

Before he could contemplate any further, however, a loud screech, freakish and otherworldly in its shrill, nails-raking-against-the-blackboard quality assaulted his eardrums, making his already spinning head pound wildly. All thoughts of Masooma and her strange visit flew out the proverbial window. Uttering a cry that was drowned out by the noise, he lifted his hands to his ears to cover them. Something jerked at his wrists just when they were a couple of inches from his ears, keeping him from clamping his hands over his eardrums to block out the noise.

With a jolt he realized that his hands were shackled to the flat platform he had been previously laying on. No matter what angle he moved in, he could not bring his hands to his head. The horrid screech continued, the wail echoing all around him, shaking him to the very core, grating his bones and making him grind his teeth in a discomfort that teetered precariously over the borderline of pain. The noise was so loud Fai thought his ears would bleed.

It stopped all of a sudden and a suffocating silence pressed on him from all sides. After all that noise, it seemed too quiet. Had it not been for the fact that he could his own ragged breathing Fai would have suspected he had gone deaf.

"What… in the worlds… _was_ that?" he whispered, his eyes darting all around him in the darkness, but with no source of light around, he couldn't make out anything. He sat there in the dark, limbs shaking wildly as his ears rang with the phantom echoes of those inhuman shrieks.

As suddenly as it had stopped, it all started up again, the shrieks assaulting his eardrums, making his brain hammer against his skull in retaliation. Gnashing his teeth, Fai tried to keep the unpleasant feeling at bay but it still managed to make his flesh crawl.

The shrieks bounced off the walls, amplifying due to the echoes, and a while later Fai's own cries added to the pandemonium as he felt the skin at his wrists tear in his struggle to cover his ears.

He could hear words forming in those cries. They spun all around him, their voices pointing and taunting, accusing and blaming him. Even as he cried and struggled, he tried to ignore those words. And in the beginning he succeeded. But the echoes kept on bouncing off the walls. They kept on rattling his insides, crawling through his skin and flesh like hundreds and thousands of tiny, unpleasant bugs.

The phantoms he seemed to have come to peace with long ago returned with a vengeance. He could feel them all around him, inside him, attacking him. They were everywhere. And there was no way to escape them. They would tear him to shreds and he would not be able to do a single thing to defend himself. Without even knowing, Fai's nails had elongated slightly to form claws as his eyes flashed a vampiric gold.

For a split second the world fell silent again, the noises silencing and the bugs and his phantoms vanishing, leaving him blissfully alone. But it only lasted for a small moment before a shock tore through his flesh and bones. An unbelievable amount of pain surged through his entire being as his mind went white. He felt like he was about to die. The smell of burnt flesh and hair reached his nostrils as whatever little energy his body had retained so far left him. He felt his vampiric state slip away and with it went the electric shock that was rattling his very soul. But no sooner had the shock receded, the accusing screams returned, haunting him, making his worst, long forgotten fears come to life. His muscles ached, occasionally twisted by spasms as he lay on the ground in a pathetic, limp heap. His arms hung halfway to his chest like some abandoned marionette, still chained to the platform he had somehow fallen off of during the time he was being electrocuted.

He panted weakly, feeling the bugs once again begin to crawl through his flesh as his phantoms almost lovingly claimed their hold on his mind.

-0-

_Darkness._

_Pain._

The two sensations overwhelmed Fai's senses and he lay sprawled in a half-sitting position in his dark cell, unmoving.

How long had it been? Days? Weeks? Months? He couldn't tell. Everything blended together as he fought to stay sane. His whole body shook with tremors as he tried to push the feelings away. Now that those cries had stopped attacking him, his numb, sleep-deprived brain could actually process his thoughts.

Part of his mind had remained unaffected by the whole ordeal and though he was surprised, Fai could not find the energy inside him to actually question why that had been the case. Then again, the part that had come through comparatively unscathed had been the part that was linked to his vampire half. This was also the part of his mind that had previously been questioning Masooma's sudden appearance and her following abandonment. In fact, this was the only part of his mind that was now able to function and for the time being, Fai decided to trust in his vampire instincts.

The woman that had healed him… she could not be Masooma. The girl he had known and taught in Celes would never leave him in a place like this. But just as he was trying to cement that belief in his mind, he heard the lock on his cell door slide open before the door itself was thrown open with a loud squeak.

The blinding light that spilled inside the dark cell made him squeeze his eyes in pain.

"Hello, Fai." With tears streaming down his cheeks, he squinted at the face that swam in his vision. Warm, amber-colored eyes looked at him in concern. Cool fingers reached out to touch his face, wiping the tears from his cheeks as he felt a sharp prick of a needle on the inside of his forearm before a liquid was injected into his veins.

He shook his head, blinking fiercely to bring that familiar face into sharper focus. As soon as he saw her, the vampire half of his brain was pushed to the background.

"H-hey Masooma," he responded hoarsely, a feeling of elation warming his heart upon knowing that she was back to help him. His vampire half tried telling him something but he wasn't able to comprehend what it was. All that mattered was that she was back.

"Look who's here to see you." She smiled, stepping away from him.

"Hey Dude," Nixon grinned, his sightless eyes staring right through him.

"What…" Fai swallowed with difficulty; his throat was parched and hurting. Every word he spoke was like thorns scraping on his flesh. "What are you guys doing here?"

"We came to check on you, of course," the blind Oracle replied brightly. "We managed to convince the guys up top to let us come and see you."

"H-how?" he asked, wonder filling his voice. How the heck had they managed to convince the hunters to let them in here? Weren't the hunters after all Mages?

"Well, seeing as we secretly help them out with a few hopeless cases," Masooma replied happily, "they owed us a few favors. This is one of them."

"Now, now, Fai," Nixon laughed, somehow able to feel the blonde's confusion, "don't act so surprised. _You_ of all people should know how we really feel about the scum hiding in that city."

"We weren't really happy there. And the hunters made us a good offer," Masooma said lightly. "We all know how those Mages are going down. They're a lost cause. We were both smart enough to realize that, so we jumped ship."

"And as you can see, it's worked out for us quite nicely." The Oracle grinned at him.

Fai could not believe what he was hearing as he continued gaping at the two people he had once thought to be his closest friends. Somehow, his vampire instincts managed to kick in just as a small fire began to burn his veins, boiling his blood like acid.

"You, on the other hand, failed to realize where your loyalties lay," Masooma spoke, her tone turning cold, "so now you will have to suffer."

He cried out in agony, his shackled hand reaching out for his friends but the ones in front of him kept on standing there, watching him with apathetic faces. As his human half began to succumb to whatever drug had been injected into his veins, his vampire half grew dominant, making his eyes shift to the cat-like gold as his claws unsheathed. He watched the expressions on Masooma and Nixon's faces change to surprise before their faces began to morph. He blinked and standing before him were not his childhood friends, but two of his tormentors.

The blond, charcoal-eyed bitch and a bald, red-eyed man he had not seen before.

That was all he was able to see to before his whole body lurched painfully as electricity coursed through him, a choked gasp escaping his now bleeding lips. Immediately, the vampire half retreated and Fai was left shivering violently as his muscles ached in protest. He slumped weakly against the raised platform, the familiar faces of his old friends once again swimming in his vision.

Fai felt the bugs beginning to crawl through his skin as fear began to clench its icy fingers around his heart.

"You deserve this for what you did, Fai," Masooma told him coldly before turning around and exiting his cell. Nixon followed her wordlessly as three men, the ones that had held him down while that bitch had force fed that green, foul smelling gunk to him, entered the cell.

Fai pressed himself against the platform, hoping to somehow sink into the freezing metal. He knew this was going to hurt. Seeing his fear, the men laughed, their rowdy laughter grating his ears as he screwed his eyes shut.

"Time to have some fun," one of them sneered before the men grabbed him and roughly threw him on the platform, twisting his arm painfully as the shackles cut into his flesh, making his partially scabbed wound bleed anew.

A hand touched his shoulder, biting into his taunt muscle. Fai bit his lip, pushing down a noise of protest as he felt the man lean closer to his ear. His breath felt burning hot after the cold, chilly air that had been his constant companion in this cell. Burning hands gripped his legs, arranging them on the platform before strapping them down to the flat surface.

"Your friends have left you in our care." The man's breath smelled disgusting, of stale alcohol and something he could not identify, making him dry heave since there was nothing in his stomach to throw up. "You ready, Mage?" the man whispered before backhanding him all of a sudden.

Fai screwed his eyes shut, inwardly praying to some gods he had stopped believing in long ago to let all of this be some sort of hallucination brought on by the drugs that had been pumped in his bloodstream. But as the sharp tip of the knife dug into his pale flesh, dragging across the creamy expanse of it, leaving an oozing trail of crimson in its wake, Fai knew that that was not the case.

As another blade was added, this one deepening the cuts already made on his body, Fai threw his head back letting out a pained scream when a third knife was plunged into his thigh.

-0-

The tears had long since dried on his cheeks, having mingled with the blood and sweat and dirt that coated his skin. His chest rose and fell, each breath short yet not requiring a whole lot of effort on the blonde's part. Fai stared blankly at the wall to his right, his eyes glassy and unfocused, the stench of blood and sweat and alcohol permeating the air. There was a hint of the sweet, acrid smell of burnt flesh also present in the mix but it wasn't as prominent as the tang that signified spilt blood.

He swallowed thickly, resisting the urge to cough violently.

Or throw up.

He groaned softly to himself, feeling frustrated and confused.

The conflicting parts of his minds were warring against one another, trying to convince him of what each half believed to be true.

He could not decide on what to believe so he pushed both halves to the back of his mind. But other thoughts rose to take their place and he groaned a bit louder, clenching his fists till his nails bit into the palms of his hands.

He felt so weak.

The word reverberated inside his head.

_Weak…_

It was his own weakness and inability to use magic that had resulted in him getting captured again… it was the only thing stopping him getting out… he was…

_Weak_…

Weak and utterly…helpless.

Fai growled low at this thought. _No_… they had not broken him yet… he wasn't sure whether to believe what his eyes had seen and acknowledge that two of his precious people had turned into his tormentors or trust in what his vampire half was telling him and dismiss their appearances as illusions conjured up by the drugs.

He could not decide on that, but the one thing that he did know was that he was not going to succumb. He was not giving in. He would fight. Fight till the end.

That end might be his escape from this hell or his death. Whatever came first. But he would not show weakness again. He would not be scared and he would not act again as he had today.

With this thought in his mind, Fai's lids involuntarily began to droop, his severe lack of sleep and the cold cell lulling him into a sleep…

As his mind began to lose itself in blissful oblivion, Fai shuddered weakly, feeling the bugs crawl beneath his skin.

_**A/N: I hope there was enough torture in here for everyone. If you have any questions or confusions regarding this chapter, feel free to ask me and I'll do my best to explain it to you without giving away the plot itself.**_


	11. Blackout

**A/N: I was about to head to bed right now but then I saw this file lying in my documents and I figured I might as well post it before I go. I'm too braindead to think of anything good to say at the moment except maybe giving a slight reassurance to all those waiting for the next updates on my other fics. I'm working on the chapters, even if progress is a bit slow right now since I'm swamped with work. This new semester schedule is hectic and mentally tiring T_T. I can't find much free time these days so that is my only excuse for not updating timely.**

**Excuses aside, this chapter finally reveals Syaoran's fate as well as what's going on in the world Fai is in and why Mokona isn't around. So I guess it's safe to say that quite a lot of stuff happens here. I hope you'll enjoy it.**

"_Oye, Hime! Get over here." He grunted, raising his hand to Syaoran's nose to feel him breathe. "Fuck! The kid isn't breathing."_

Sakura's heart skipped a beat, but instead of doing what the ninja had asked of her, she raised her hand and waved it in the air once, a gold staff materializing before her. Taking it in one hand, she slammed one end of it on the ground, looking at the horrified spirit in front of her in an apologetic manner.

"I'm sorry Syaoran-san, but this is the only way," she said to him as the amber-eyed apparition broke out of his stupor and made to move to his son's side. A magic circle appeared beneath his feet, looking very much like the circle that the high priest of the Clow he had lived in had used to send him and his Sakura to Yuuko. "Time flows differently in that world then it does here, but please tell Fai-san we'll come as soon as we can."

Before the spirit could respond in any manner, smoky tendril the shades of a rainbow wrapped themselves around his form, the air around them shimmering before they vanished, taking the spirit of the once-clone Syaoran along with them.

Dropping her staff, Sakura whirled around, rushing to Syaoran, her hands giving off a pale rose-gold glow as she placed them on his chest.

"His heart has stopped," she choked out, her fearful jade eyes moving to the teen's face. His lips were slightly parted, eyes closed in a rather peaceful expression in his death, but Sakura couldn't imagine her future without him in it.

She barely heard Kurogane's swears as she pumped her beloved's chest rhythmically, before pinching his nose as she pressed her lips against his, forcing air in his lungs. Letting go, she moved back to pumping his chest before repeating her earlier motion. It was on her fourth attempt that Syaoran took in a shuddering gasp as soon as Sakura let up, managing to keep on breathing on his own as tears of gratitude and joy welled up in her eyes while Kurogane's shoulder's sagged visibly in relief. But while the chocolate haired boy was breathing again, it did not mean he was out of danger just yet.

Knowing full well that she had almost completely exhausted her magical reserves by sending Syaoran's spirit to the world Fai was in, Sakura started administering healing magic on the teen lying on the bed. Kurogane silently observed her work, not daring to interrupt until she showed signs of passing out. He quietly exited the room, looking for the high priest, Yukito. He returned with said man in tow not five minutes later so that he could relieve the princess and take over the job of healing his student.

Sakura refused to leave Syaoran's side, however, sitting quietly on a chair next to his bed as she held his hand in her own slim fingers, watching the silver-haired man work through tired green eyes.

"Syaoran-san was clearly stronger of the two," she said quietly, feeling the need to explain her actions to Kurogane, "when his spirit was separated from Syaoran's body, he started taking energy from Syaoran to keep on existing in this world."

"I thought you said the bead's energy would have been enough." Kurogane interrupted, narrowing his eyes at her.

"It ought to have been enough, but seeing as how Syaoran-san resisted the separation, it needed more energy to break the bond, thus depleting the amount of energy left behind to sustain his separated soul. Unknowingly, Syaoran-san began looking for alternative sources and began leeching off of the only source available to him at the time."

"You mean the kid's presence was what almost killed this kid?"

Sakura nodded weakly, not tearing her eyes away from the sight of Syaoran. "I'm going to try again and look at his memories in the morning." She announced after a while, just as Yukito was climbing to his feet to leave for the night.

"Sakura-hime, are you sure that's such a good idea?" he asked apprehensively, looking at the ninja for some sort of support.

"I'm sure, Yukito-san." She met his gaze unflinchingly, "It's up to us to heal Syaoran and we can't do that until we know what happened to him in the first place."

"But you don't have to be the one to plunge into his memories." A voice Kurogane had not heard so far spoke as its owner stepped through the doors.

"Touya-nii-san," Sakura greeted him with a strained smile, her exhaustion showing through, "Welcome back."

"We could have one of the priests look at them. With your ability to feel the emotions of everyone around you, you'll be sure to feel whatever it was that the brat went through."

"My powers don't work that way and you know it, Nii-san," she said somberly, refusing to meet his gaze. At that moment she had an uncanny resemblance to Fai when he tried to hide something, making Kurogane suspect that what the prince had said held some merit after all. "Besides, I _want_ to do this for him."

"Kaijuu," Touya started seriously, only to be interrupted by the young princess. "I'll be fine, Nii-san."

He opened his mouth to argue some more, but seeing the look of desperation in his sister's face as she finally looked at him and the sight of the brat's unmoving, pale body lying on the bed in the background made him relent. "On one condition, you won't look through his memories in their entirety."

"What? But, Touya-" she started to protest only to be cut off by the dark-haired prince, "Let me finish, Sakura." Hearing the use of her actual name, Sakura fell silent. "I said you won't look through his memories in their entirety. Just long enough for you to get an idea of what happened to him. I don't want you to suffer unnecessarily."

Hearing his consent, she flashed him another smile, this one, tinged with happiness and gratitude.

"We should respect the brat's right to the privacy of his memories. When you're done healing him, he'll tell you about it himself, if he feels the need to share. Don't take that away from him." Then without another word, he turned around and left.

-0-

"Yes, and get the fifth squad to reinforce the wards on the southern entrance."

"Nixon." The blind Oracle felt the familiar, deep crimson aura approach him from the distance.

"Our provisions are cutting short as well." The captain walking alongside him, Neumro of squad one, informed him.

"Get Violetta to assemble a raid party in that case." Nixon said in response, as they slowed down and came to a halt outside the central building, "The hunters have increased their security, so include four Concealers in the group."

"Nixon," Masooma called out again as she caught up with the Oracle and Neumro.

"Come find me after an hour's time," Nixon told the captain calmly, ignoring his healer friend for now, "I'll be outside the council's chambers."

"Sir," the captain saluted, nodding his head once in the direction of a rather incensed Masooma before taking his leave. Once the sound of his footsteps receded, fading away to silence, Nixon turned his sightless gaze in her direction expectantly, waiting for her to start.

"It's been three weeks, Nixon!" she exploded, "How much longer are we going to sit around and do nothing at all? We can't keep on waiting and hoping his companions will come and rescue him from that place."

"Masooma," he sighed tiredly, pinching the bridge of his nose with his forefingers. "listen-"

"No!" she yelled angrily, "You listen to me. You have no idea what it's like in that place. Those bastards will destroy him like they did with Syaoran. We can't let that happen to Fai, too."

When Nixon remained silent, she plowed on, "You said so yourself that time flows differently in worlds. What's been three weeks here might just be four days in Clow. Bearing that in mind, we can't just hope for his friends to pop up all of a sudden."

"…."

"Every second we waste doing nothing could bring him closer to…" she trailed off, blinking back tears as memories of her own time in captivity threatened to surface, "it might be too late by the time his companions get here." She whispered pleadingly.

"Masooma," he said in a tone she knew far too well. "You know I'm helpless in this case."

"That's a load of bull and you know it!" she shrieked angrily, repeating what she had been telling him every single day for the last three weeks. "You're the Oracle, for crying out loud!"

"And that is precisely why I can't do anything!" he exploded all of a sudden, a magical whiplash leaving deep gouge-like marks in the stone wall behind them as his emotions got the best of him. "You say I have no idea about what he's going through? I am the Oracle_,_ Masooma." Masooma took a step back in alarm, her anger dissolving into a look of fear and bewilderment, "The fucking _Oracle_, damn it! You think I _want_ for him to suffer like that? You think I enjoy knowing what Syaoran went through? What Violetta went through? What you went through? What… what he's going through?"

He took in a deep breath, hoping to calm his raging feelings before he ended up tearing the building apart. Putting the destroyed buildings back together was not fun at all, "I may not be all seeing and I may not be able to feel what those around me feel," he sighed, speaking in voice of forced calm, "but don't forget that I still know what's happening to those connected to me. All the time."

"Nixon," she stared in an apologetic tone, realizing just how bad the Oracle had it in this case.

"The feeling of helplessness, _knowing_ about the pain your loved ones suffer yet being unable to do anything about it. That's the worst kind of torture." He said softly, "There is a reason why Yuuko wanted for that wish to end. She knew the fates of those who stepped in her shop yet the price for knowing just that forbade her from ever telling them about it."

"I'll just end up upsetting this world's already precarious balance if I try to interfere any more than I already have." He sighed, turning around to leave. "You know how things work in this world. Those sworn to the Magihidusi _cannot_ help anyone captured by the hunters."

"That's what landed us in this hellhole in the first place," she agreed bitterly, remembering what Nixon had to agree to in order for that old man to help him rescue her from the hunters all those years ago.

-0-

"_Can you tell me where you guys landed when you came to this world?" Masooma asked as she held her glowing hands in place above Mokona's immobile body. The magical creature had yet to wake up from the state of unconsciousness that it had been knocked into upon their arrival._

"_It appeared like a square in the city." Syaoran answered helpfully._

"_Did you pass through any glowing silver shield as you came here?" she asked sharply, her eyes narrowing in alarm._

"_Moko-chan might have warped us through one." Fai responded, his tone lacking its usual cheerfulness. Kurogane's frowned deepened. So the mage had noticed something funny about those seemingly innocent-looking shimmering sheets of silver in the city. If the look on his face was anything to go by, this was rather serious._

"_The hunters erected those shields after the last Great War," Masooma told them sadly, "they're meant to put any mage using magic within their parameter into a non-reversible coma."_

"_Isn't there any way to counter its effects?" Syaoran asked, his eyes darting worriedly at the stiff form of the white dimension hopper._

"_The only known cure lies deep within the heart of the Metropolis." She answered, shaking her head._

"_Then we'll just go and get that." Kurogane said simply, climbing to his feet, not missing the look of fear on the raven-haired healer's face as she jumped to her feet._

"_What? You can't just walk into the Metropolis and come out unscathed."_

"_Listen, girl," Kurogane said in a somewhat irritated tone. The manju bun needed help and here this witch was being over-dramatic and stopping them from doing something to help the magical creature. "I really don't see what the big deal is about going to some place if we want to."_

"_No!" she hissed angrily, her amber eyes glaring at him in a mixture of fear and hatred, "you will _not_ go to the Metropolis, understand?" she looked at Fai and Syaoran, "none of you will, you hear me?" and then without waiting from a response from any of them, she stormed out of their chambers._

"_You were right about one thing, Nixon," Fai said seriously, his confused gazed fixed on the door Masooma had just vanished through. "She _has_ changed. What happened to her?"_

"_Wouldn't it be better if you told your companions of our history before we delve into that?" the Oracle responded, "I'm sure they'll be able to better understand the significance of the change in her if they know about it."_

"_I can always tell them about it later," Fai quipped, crossing his arms across his chest, narrowing his eyes at the blind man, who for some reason seemed to be fidgeting under the blonde's gaze even when he couldn't see Fai._

"_I'd appreciate it if you told them now instead of later."_

"_You were never one to stall, Nixon," the blue-eyed mage spoke. "What happened to you two?"_

"_Oye, Mage, since it's clear he's not going to talk until you do," Kurogane decided to interrupt, not willing to sit around and watch the two argue while they could be helping the meat bun. The kid would begin to feel the effects of his wish pretty soon, so they had to be sure they could leave this place when the time came. For that to happen though, they would need a conscious bejeweled dimension hopper. "Why not just get it over with and tell us what he wants us to know. What's such a big deal with this whole Oracle shit and how do you know this guy and that bipolar girl?"_

_Shooting one last look in the blind Oracle's direction, Fai turned to pout at him._

"_Impatient as always, ne, Kuro-tan?" sitting down on the bed Mokona had been placed on, he gestured for the two to sit down as well. This was clearly going to take some time. "As you already know, I was the Celesian Court's High Mage. Not to brag or anything, but I was considered to be a true prodigy by my teachers and when I was still around the same physical age as Syaoran-kun at the beginning of our journey, I had already earned my title of the D-type magician."_

"_You mean the D in your name is actually a title?" Syaoran seemed surprised by this little piece of information._

"_As a matter of fact, Syaoran-kun," Fai laughed in response, "it is. The highest order any Mage can hope to achieve."_

"_So you were a brainy runt," Kurogane scoffed, "Big deal. What's that got to do with him?" he cocked his head in at the Oracle._

"_I was getting there, Kuro-grumpy," Fai responded lightly, "Now as I was saying, I had earned my title by the time I was the physical age of Syaoran-kun at the start of our journey, which would be around fourteen years I think, right, Syaoran-kun?" For some reason, Kurogane couldn't help but feel that the smug tone was not directed at him, but their grey-eyed host._

"_I thought you promised to stop rubbing it in my face after I saved your ass?" Nixon's irritated response confirmed the ninja's theory._

"_Hmm… you're right. I did promise that, didn't I?" the magician responded thoughtfully, continuing before he got hurt. Kurogane was clearly losing his patience with the blond seeing how easily he kept on drifting off topic. "Well, anyhow, my memories never covered these points of my life for some reason when Ashura-ou showed them to you. I guess he never thought them to be as important or relevant to the point he was trying to make at the time, but life in Celes wasn't just limited to me going out to help a few stricken villages and battling monsters and magical menaces." He paused for a couple of seconds, "I was also training to compete for the place of the next Oracle."_

_**A/N: A surprising lack of torture in this chapter, I know, but the next one will hopefully make up for it. As it's all going to be about Fai. ;) ;)**_

_**Speaking of our favorite mage, Fai was going to be the Oracle! Next chapter's sneak peeks and dedications for anyone who can correctly guess why he never became the Oracle. I've actually been dropping major hints about the reason ever since the current Oracle, Nixon was introduced but you guys might have to look a little deeper into it to find out.**_

_**Anywho, I'm really getting sleepy so I'm off to bed now. Don't forget to leave a review and your thoughts on why Fai failed to make it. Don't worry about getting it wrong. I swear I won't bite. ;)**_

_**-Nims**_


	12. Bedraggled

_**A/N: Feels like ages since I last updated anything but my schedule has been truly hectic. And my bunnies keep on abandoning me every single time I do have some time to spare. I'm beginning to dread the coming months. There is going to be **_**so much work **_***pales***_

_**But let's not bore you with my whining since I've been known to go on for hours upon hours. Not a lot of people reviewed last time. I wonder if that was because there was no torture in the previous chapter. Is there a directly proportional relation between the amount of torture and the number of reviews in effect here or something? This and the next chapter will act as determiners.**_

_**Anyhow, enough rambling, enjoy!**_

"_I was also training to compete for the place of the next Oracle."_

_Seeing the confused looks his companions shot at him, Fai clarified, "You see, every couple of hundred years, a new Oracle is chosen. Prodigies and talented mages from all over Celes and the adjoining kingdoms __g__ather at one major city each time, undergo a series of test before being deemed worthy of the position of Oracle."_

"_So him and the girl were the other possible candidates?" Kurogane quirked a brow._

"_No," Nixon was the one who answered this time. "Only I was. Masooma actually came to Celes to learn under the apprenticeship of the Celesian High Mage."_

"_But you two knew each other from before?" Syaoran asked._

"_Yeah," Nixon nodded, "though Masooma was infatuated with the _HighMage_ in the beginning. You have no idea how annoying that got after a while."_

"_Ehh... I didn't really mind listening to her, to tell you the truth." Fai said playfully._

"_Well, you're a good for nothing, self conceited bastard so your opinion doesn't count." The Oracle responded carelessly, making Kurogane smirk in amusement._

"_Now that's just mean." Fai pouted. "Besides you were only annoyed because she was oblivious to your crush on her and liked me more."_

"… _Anyhow," Nixon cleared his throat loudly, not denying what Fai had said but not acknowledging it either. "Masooma and I came to Celes for different purposes. We had actually grown up together, but while my teachers nominated me as a possible candidate for the Oraclehood, Masooma's name was put up for apprenticeship."_

"_The whole apprenticeship thing was Ashura-ou's idea to get me to open up some more," Fai continued the story, "back then I was more like Kuro-grumpy and very anti-social."_

"_That's hard to believe." Kurogane snorted in response._

"_But it's true." The magician answered, "So in order to escape having to take on an apprentice, I made the test really hard, failing all the possible candidates. But Masooma-chan was smarter than the rest of the lot. She found a loophole and managed to enlist Nixon's help to secure her position._

"_Despite my inability to perform even the most basic of healing spells, Masooma-chan was truly exceptional. She trained under me even as I prepared to undergo the trials for choosing the Oracle. It wasn't easy and for a while it almost seemed like I would lose."_

"_You would lose?" Syaoran repeated, voicing his confusion, looking between the blond and the Oracle. "But isn't Nixon-san the Oracle?"_

"_Oh but Nixon wasn't the one who won the trials." Fai shook his head, "I was."_

"_But then why is he the Oracle and not you?"_

"_In order for a mage to receive the sight of the Oracle," Nixon spoke up before he could answer. "The candidate has to lose his own sight." Kurogane looked from the Mage to the Oracle and back to the Mage as though seeking confirmation of what Nixon had just said._

"_The source of my magic and life are my eyes." Fai nodded, a hint of sadness and regret tainting his tone. _

"_You were dying?" Syaoran asked softly._

_With a small nod, Fai continued, "In the end, Nixon took my place."_

"_Don't you mean I kicked your ass and _then _took your place?" The Oracle teased lightly, but it was clear to those present that he was only trying to keep the mood from turning somber. _

"_Aww… Don't go all angsty on me now, Fai." He said, punching the blond on the arm in a joking manner when he failed to respond. "Anyhow, seeing as he's clearly making himself look better than me on purpose, I think I'll continue telling the tale from here." he tried a different tactic to try and get a rise out of the blond like he did back in Celes._

_Kurogane's quirked brow was lost on his sightless gaze, so the ninja shrugged and decided to let the Oracle continue anyways._

"_Wait, why did Fai-san try out for the position in the first place if he knew about the price?" the amber eyed teen questioned._

"_None of the candidates were informed about the conditions that applied. Only the heads of the states from where the candidates were appearing were informed and they were bound by their word not to interfere in the test in any way." Nixon answered, "Besides, all the candidates knew that they would have to give up something precious to gain that spot anyways, so it doesn't really matter whether they know what they'll lose or not."_

"_Masooma and I were the best of friends, but she still hated my guts," he laughed reminiscently._

"_She stopped when you ended up saving my life," Fai said and Kurogane was somewhat irritated to hear the gratefulness in his tone. Why did the Oracle get the gratitude for saving his ungrateful ass, yet all he had gotten in Infinity had been cold smiles and thinly veiled hatred?_

"_You make it sound like I did it for you." Nixon answered in mock haughtiness._

"_Must you break my heart every single time?" Fai sobbed dramatically._

_Kurogane shrugged off the irritation he had felt earlier as he silently watched the two interact. It was clear that they were quite close, like brothers. And if the circumstances arose, they might just end up risking their life for the other. It was nice to know that Fai had not really had such a lonely life before he had met his current family. _

-0-

He reached out with bloodied fingers, a small grim smile dancing across his lips as Fai scrabbled at the crumbling grey stone. He had been thrown here a few days ago, or maybe it had only been a few hours. There was no way to tell how much time had passed. Even his internal clock was messed up thanks to his frequent visits to the dream world.

He knew he must look a sight, covered in bruises and cuts and his own blood, his wrists having a ring of barely healed scabs thanks to the manacles that had been used to hold him to the flat platform as those hunters had tormented him.

Funnily enough, he was reminded of his time back in the valley of sinners, his scraped and bloodied fingers leaving dark, wet trails on the stone wall. He wasn't even quite sure of what he hoped to accomplish from this, seeing as by now he had not only managed to break three nails and claws, the forefinger of his right hand was bent at an odd angle, slowly turning a sickly color, not that he could tell underneath the blood coating it.

There was a jagged cut on his left forearm, oozing a warm liquid that burnt against his frozen skin. Gritting his teeth, trying not to scream out in pain, Fai struggled to his feet, favoring his right ankle. If the swelling was anything to go by, it seemed like it was broken. Dragging his foot behind him, Fai crawled to the wall opposite to the one he had been scraping at, falling against it with a heavy thud.

The rough stones tore open the barely healed wounds on his back and they began to bleed anew. His own cold sweat mingled with the crimson liquid as it trailed down his torso, making him hiss in pain as the wounds stung mercilessly. Panting heavily, he leaned his head against the wall, letting his eyes slide close.

Pulling his breaking body tightly into himself, he let out a sigh that sounded like a moan as he rested his head on his drawn up knees. His drifting thoughts wandered to the subject of a visit from his tormentors. He had been left at the mercy of those brutes for far too long. It seemed like ages ago when he had been visited by a familiar face. How long was it going to be till Masooma would visit him again? Would Nixon come with her? Would she heal him this time?

He had almost learnt to ignore the bugs that crawled beneath his flesh by now. Oh, now he remembered why he had been scratching at the wall. It was to keep himself from going insane by tearing away his own flesh. The phantoms, having formed a stronghold in his mind, let him be only when his mind was preoccupied with something else. He could hear the distant echoes and cries of men and women, innocent children and veteran old ones all accusing him of bringing about their demise. He had not heard those voices for a long, _long_ time now.

Not counting the time he had spent in this prison, that is, the last time he had heard those voices had been when he was still learning magic under Ashura, way before he had even met Nixon or Masooma. Speaking of Masooma, though, when was she going to visit him next? Would she heal him this time? Would she bring some water for him maybe? He was just so thirsty. And what about Nixon? Surely, the Oracle couldn't hate him so much so as to leave him here to rot forever, right? His friends wouldn't do that to him, would they?

They couldn't just forget him like that. He couldn't doubt them now when he had no one to rely on. They'd pull through for him, just like they always did. Telling that to himself in a firm tone, Fai allowed his body to relax for a bit, his head jerking up only seconds later when he heard multiple footsteps in the corridor outside. They were all heavy thuds, immediately letting him know who his visitors for the day would be.

"No." he shrank in once more, his muscles tensing up painfully as the door to his cell slid open and a blinding light filled the dark room, making Fai flinch as his sensitive eyes burnt from the onslaught and he clenched them shut.

It was the hunters.

They had left the door open behind them, unlike all those other times. And he wasn't shackled in place this time. He could make run for it if he wanted. He could finally get out of this horrible place.

But he knew he couldn't. So instead, he merely buried his face into his knees. _Please, just let them leave me alone._ He prayed in his heart. Their footsteps grew closer and he struggled to move away from them. Unable to progress much thanks to the state his body was in, he pressed himself into the wall behind him, acting like a cornered puppy that had been kicked far too many times by its owners to know what to do.

A distant part of his mind scoffed at him, throwing jeering taunts his way. He wasn't doing anything. He was submitting. He was acting like the_ animal_ they claimed he was. He ignored that voice, just like he had learnt to ignore the bugs that crawled beneath his skin or the voices that flung accusations at him of times and events long past.

He licked his chapped lips, tasting his own blood. He throat flashed as he struggled to dredge up words he had not spoken in a long, long time. "_Please…"_ he pleaded softly, "_Please…. Leave me alone_."

They laughed at his request, the jarring sound bouncing off the walls around him, making the world spin nauseously. It grated on his ears, making him clench his teeth to keep the sick feeling at bay as a rough hand, the same as before, grabbed his hair and dragged him to his feet. The sound of their laughter only grew louder as he gave out a pained yelp and stumbled. The only thing holding him upright was the hand on his hair as his body sagged like a lifeless marionette.

_Pathetic. _The voice in his head scoffed, as tears of pain prickled his eyes. _Pathetic, weak and scared_._ You are no magician. You're just a scared, sniveling weakling._

"It's time to feed our esteemed guest," his captor sneered, bringing his face close to Fai's, relishing the way Fai's eyes widened in fear.

"No," he rasped, bloodied hands reaching out to free his hair from his tormentor's grip as he remembered the last couple of times they had fed and watered him. It had been nothing short of agony on his part. The feeling of helplessness, the icy coldness enveloping his mind as the darkness enveloped him from all sides as he struggled not to drown in the stream of water being poured on his face, the way his throat burnt from vomiting his own acidic bile every time they kicked him in the stomach, not caring whether he was awake or unconscious. It scared him.

The feeling of the feeding tube tearing his insides as it was forced down his throat and into his stomach as the foul smelling gunk was fed to him, the sick sensations that roiled his beaten body as he would lay shivering in his own mess for hours, paralyzed, unable to move, completely, utterly helpless.

He did not want that.

He'd rather starve and die from dehydration then go through all that again.

A blinding blow to the side of his head made him cease all struggles as he was reminded of his place. "Do you want us to make it more painful than it has to be, eh, Mage?"

"N-no," he whispered, letting them drag him out of the freezing dungeon into the dimly lit, narrow hallway. Closing his eyes, ashamed of his own shortcomings, Fai let his muscles slacken as they jeered and taunted at him, carelessly yanking him towards a room he had been in only three other times since he had been captured.

A needle pricked his arm, the burning-freezing liquid filling his veins as hands held him down. The man who was responsible for bringing him to this chamber, let go of his hair once he was secured in place by the means of shackles. He had wondered why they had not done so the first time they had force-fed him, but no explanation had come to his mind.

The man returned with the large rod that he proceeded to shove between his parted jaws. He swallowed hard, knowing what was coming next. Yet he did nothing at all to prevent it. He couldn't help it. His pride, his dignity, his confidence and his fearlessness… nothing was left of any of those. He merely shuddered, cracking his eyes open when the door to the chamber creaked open once more and a soft clack of high heeled boots approached him.

"Hello, Fai," Masooma grinned down at him, taking the metal jug that held the freezing water he was going to be tormented with. "Thirsty?"

_**A/N: Oh no, Fai is breaking. Will someone manage to come rescue him before it's too late or will he end up like Syaoran?**_

_**Speaking of dear our Little Wolf, how many of you think he's dead? How many think he might survive after all? Send in your responses via review or PM since the next chapter will be all about him. ;) ;)**_

_**I hope my explanation about Fai's past wasn't too disjointed or incomplete. If you have any questions feel free to ask since this is the last you'll be reading about his time in Celes unless I get any questions pertaining that.**_

_**Well, now I'm off to dinner. We're having steam roast tonight. *grins* I hope you enjoyed the update. Till next time.**_

_**Ciao!**_

_**-Nims**_

_***runs after rabid plot-bunnies* Oye wait up you damn balls of fluff. That food is meant for **_**humans**_**!**_

_**Edit: March 30**__**th**__** 2011 I've been trying since Sunday night to upload this chapter but the page displayed an error message everytime I tried putting this up. Luckily I came across this little bit of info that helped me out. I figured it might be of help to some of you too.**_

**After you click edit on your story and the error message appears, go to the URL bar. Replace the word property with the word content and press enter. You should be redirected to the upload chapters page. Happy updating!**


	13. Blank

_**A/N: I figured since I might vanish for a while again, why not treat you guys and make this a triple update. I was done with this chapter quite a while back anyways so here you go. Enjoy!**_

_He shivered, feeling her cold hands upon his bare back, the soothing warmth of healing energy flowing into his limbs. She was healing him again. He wasn't quite sure why she always did that, seeing as she always allowed the hunters to find creative ways to torment him with every single time._

"_You're only making this harder upon yourself, you know," she shook her head in disappointment, her left hand gently cupping his cheek in an affectionate gesture._

"_Sa-kura," his voice came out scratchy and hoarse as he lifted his freshly healed hand to touch the fingers resting against his face._

"_Come on, Syaoran," she whispered, bringing her face closer to his, her auburn hair falling around them to curtain his face from any_ _onlooker's view. "Think about it. I know you know where it is. Just tell me, and all this will end."_

"_It will end?" he repeated in wonder, his amber eyes glistening with hope._

"_Yes, it will end," She smiled at him. "Trust me, Syaoran, everything will be alright." She told him breathily, pressing her lips against his for a kiss, yet Syaoran could feel nothing but ice. _

"_Try and remember it for me now." She told him caressing his hair lovingly._

_He frowned in concentration for a while before the look was replaced by something akin to fear. "I-I… I'm sorry, Sakura," he pleaded, his body stiffening as her hand stilled. He helplessly watched her as her jade orbs hardened to nothing but two cold stones. "I can't."_

"_Well, I'm sorry, too," she said coldly as she fisted his hair roughly, pulling his head back. Leaning over his ear she hissed in a venomous tone. "Don't say I didn't give you a chance."_

"_N-no, Sakura," Syaoran begged, his hand reaching up to grab her wrist as he struggled weakly in her grip. "Please..."_

"_I think it's time for us to add something new to the mix, ne Kurogane-san, Fai-san?" she smirked, ignoring him as she looked over her shoulder at the two familiar figures that walked out of the shadows._

"_I agree," Fai grinned down at him, a cruel grin playing across his features._

"_What are we waiting around for?" Kurogane smirked, the evil smile sending chills down _

_Syaoran's spine._

"_K-Kurogane-san, Fa-i-san," he rasped, "please..."_

"_He's all yours." Sakura announced, roughly slamming his head against the frozen tiles before climbing to her feet as she stepped away from him._

_The adults advanced on him as Syaoran curled in on himself, hoping that for once, it would be enough to protect him from the pain. But as they grabbed his legs and dragged him across the chamber and down the narrow, filthy hallway, he knew it was useless._

_Knowing that it would only worsen things for him if he struggled, Syaoran tried to get away from them anyway as they put manacles around his feet once they had brought him to his destination. _

"_Stop it, you worthless brat!" Kurogane spat as he kicked him in the ribs, leaving Syaoran wheezing for breath as his eyes watered. Before he could even understand what was happening, they were dragging him across the room. His back scraped along the floor as they hooked the chain that connected the two manacles to a hook hanging from the roof._

"_You really should have just told us when you had the chance, Syaoran-kun," Fai shook his head in disappointment, in a manner quite similar to Sakura's as he approached his feet with a baton-like stick. Then without any further warning, he whipped it through the air, striking the soles of his feet with a resounding crack as Syaoran threw his head back and screamed._

-0-

Trying very hard not to let the scenes that she had just witnessed get to her, Sakura opened her eyes. Raising her hands, she noticed that they were trembling. Choking on a sob, she looked down at Syaoran, her fingers reaching for his motionless face. She traced the outline of his jaw with her forefinger, her heart clenching painfully as the screams from her vision echoed inside her mind. The screams that signified raw, unadultered pain.

His skin felt cold, like ice, and had it not been for the slow, rhythmic rise and fall of his chest, she would have been panicking about him being dead, just like last night. Even though she was exhausted from having used her magic so much, Sakura tried to clear her mind of all thoughts, pushing the phantom screams to the back as she called on her healing magic.

Like she had told Touya last night, she had not physically experienced anything that the brunette had gone through, yet thanks to her magic being in tune with the world around her, she had felt parts of it all the same.

The toxins that had been waging war on his body, even with Syaoran-san's presence there to counter its effects, were now purged from Syaoran's system. Or, well, the worst part of them were. There was still a small fraction of it that remained inside his blood but Sakura was now personally going to see to its removal.

Pulling up on the reserves hidden deep within her, Sakura set to work, trying to mend each and every single wound that she came across. Even with the numerous healing sessions she had seen him undergo in his captivity, there was still too much damage done that needed fixing.

What those hunters did was truly barbaric. Just like she had promised Touya, she had skimmed through his memories, silently thanking her brother for making her promise not to see everything since she knew now that she would not have been able to handle the full extent of it all.

At least now she knew the purpose that that foreign toxin served. It was a hallucinogen and a very powerful one at that. From the way it had affected Syaoran's body, she would even go so far so as to say that it was also addictive.

Syaoran's tormentors were all hunters, yet the drug that they regularly injected him with made him hallucinate the people he held close to his heart in their place. Which explained his fear of her and Kurogane and Syaoran-san's reaction towards the two when they pulled him out of Syaoran's body.

They apparently wanted some information from Syaoran, which the brunette seemed unable to recall for some reason. It could have been some sort of memory seal that cause him to forget the information. She would have to discuss that with the red-eyed man.

Those hunters would torture him for hours and days on end, healing him whenever he would get close to dying before repeating the whole cycle.

She had witnessed the way they had fed Syaoran and the way they had forced him to drink water. Not even animals were treated the way they had treated her beloved. What had he ever done to deserve what they did? Sakura was a very forgiving person by nature, but after seeing what she had, she knew that she would never be able to forgive those hunters. Ever. Even if their lives depended on it.

Pinching the bridge of her nose, she removed her other hand from where it had been resting over Syaoran's heart as she let the healing magic fade away. Syaoran was a very strong person, but in the end, he was a human too. He seemed to have held on for as long as he could but maybe Kurogane and Fai had been too late to save him.

She prayed with all her heart that she could reverse the damage done to her beloved. A wave of exhaustion rolled over her body and she slumped forwards, landing vertically across his torso as she passed out from over-exertion.

That morning, she had told everyone not to disturb her while she was working on Syaoran and for once, Touya had acquiesced without a sound, stopping by long enough to remind her of her deal with him.

Kurogane had nodded his head in acknowledgement, casting a worried glance at the two before leaving the room, telling her that he would wait right outside. She woke to the pleasant sound of birds chirping happily on the railing of the balcony outside the window, the sun peeping merrily through the partially parted curtains, casting a soft golden glow inside the room.

Realizing the position she was in, Sakura blushed, pushing herself away from Syaoran, wincing as her back cracked painfully. Heaving a sigh, she set about rearranging the bed, pulling the sheet over Syaoran's body and moving over to the window to pull the curtains away completely.

When she turned around, she noticed that Syaoran was finally awake and staring at the ceiling above him.

"Syaoran?" she called hesitantly, approaching his bedside, "H-how are you feeling?" She had been working diligently on him, so she hoped he wouldn't be in pain any longer or not a lot of pain. There were still bandages wrapped around parts of his exposed skin but the many scars, cuts and bruises that had been painting his sun-kissed skin before were now no more.

She knew it wasn't much, but it was still better than what he must have been suffering before.

"Syaoran?" She repeated, feeling dread settle in the pit of her stomach when he did not answer. Scared of what she might see, she stopped next to his bed, hesitant to meet his eyes. After all that he had been through, he had every right to not want to talk to her. After all, it had been her own face and body that had tormented him for so long, her own mocking voice that had taunted him for being useless. Why would he want to trust her after all that?

"Syaoran," she forced herself to look at his face, hoping to meet his eye when he would look in her direction, "that person wasn't me." She wrung her hands in front of her in a nervous manner, "I'd never do something like that to you. I love you, Syaoran. You know I could never hurt you, right?"

Funnily enough, he did not move his head. He didn't even so much as twitch a muscle.

"Syaoran, I'm sorry." She pleaded, "I know you probably hate me for it, but please, believe me, that girl wasn't me."

Yet Syaoran refused to look at her.

"Syaoran," she felt tears of desperation stream down her cheeks. "Syaoran, please, I'm sorry for what she did." Her cries seemed to fall on deaf ears when he didn't even so much as blink. He was breathing, though, and his skin had felt warm when she had woken up not five minutes ago, so he was still alive.

But the way he was staring, it scared Sakura. Heart beating frantically against her ribcage, she approached his head side, finally taking a good look at his face in the morning sunlight.

What she saw made her stagger back in shock, tripping and falling over the rug placed on the floor.

"K-Kurogane-san." She whispered, her whole body trembling at what she had just seen. "Kuro-Kurogane-san." She called again, hoping, praying to the gods above that it had just been a trick of the light. That what she had seen wasn't it at all. It couldn't be, right?

"K-Kurogane-san!" she cried hysterically, hearing the door to the room burst open as the ninja raced inside, sword drawn in an offensive stance as his eyes canned the room for some hidden enemies.

He had been prepared to defend the princess from unknown assassins, but he had definitely, not in a million years, prepared himself for the sight that met his eyes. The princess was on the floor in hysterics, tears freely flowing down her cheeks and for one heart-stopping second, he thought that something had happened to the kid. But when he turned his gaze in the direction of the kid's bed, he saw him lying there, motionless as ever.

He remembered what the princess had been doing before he had entered the room, so he directed his attention at her for the moment. She must have seen something that had sent her into a panic attack. He just had no idea how correct that hunch was.

"Oye! Oye, Hime!" he grabbed her shoulders, shaking her a little roughly as he tried to bring the girl back to her senses. "What happened? What did you see?" He knew it wasn't a smart idea to let her see his memories, but they had to know what happened to the kid. "Hime."

As soon as he stopped shaking her, she crumbled in his arms, falling against his chest as she began to sob brokenly.

"H-his eyes…" she whispered into his shirt, "His eyes..." she repeated again and again, her voice rising in volume as Yukito rushed inside the room not a few seconds later. He must have felt the princess's distress through her erratic magical aura.

"What happened?" he asked, hurrying over to the girl, who seemed to have gone into shock as she kept on repeating the same phrase over and over again. "What did she see?"

Ignoring the High Priest's question for now, he handed the girl over to him as he climbed to his feet, wondering what the heck was wrong with the kid's eyes that the princess had gotten so worked up over.

As he approached the bed, he noticed that the brunette's eyes were open and he was staring at the ceiling.

"Kid?" he questioned softly. He thought it a little strange to see that the kid did not even twitch a muscle. Something was wrong.

"H-his eyes…" Ignoring the princess repeating the same phrase over and over again in the background, Kurogane caught his first glimpse of Syaoran's face and felt the blood drain from his own.

"H-his eyes…" He heard Sakura cry in the distance, finally managing to put to words what his mind was only now beginning to register. The life and shine that they once held, the defiant light that shone through that intense amber gaze, even when he was scared out of his wits… It was gone… All of it was gone, leaving behind nothing but a hollow, glazed brown.

"…so empty."

_**A/N: I know. I know, you guys probably hate me for doing this to him but I swear it'll get better. Eventually. Maybe. ^_^;**_

_**I hope you enjoyed reading it though. Tell me what you think and feel free to ask any questions you might have. Till next time.**_

_**-Nims**_


	14. Blackout II

_**A/N:**_ Long wait, I know. I'm sorry but my excuse is the same as usual so I will be skipping over that. If you're curious about what that maybe, check out the A/N before this one or the one before that or the one posted with a most recent chapters or Shattered Secrets. ^_^;

But if you're too lazy to check, just know that I'm having my exams once more.

"Try and remember it Fai," Masooma breather against his ear, her fingers burning trails down his skin as she pulled away to look at him in the eye. "I know you know where it is."

He sputtered and coughed, his chest heaving violently as struggled to draw a breath. He had never felt so much pain in his life. "Ma-" he croaked weakly, trying not to let the tears of helplessness escape his eyes. He couldn't understand why they were doing this to him. What had he ever done to deserve so much hatred from the very first people in his life that he had opened up to?

"Come on, Fai," she crooned, "You're needlessly making this hard for yourself."

"Why?" he finally managed to speak, his pain-clouded eyes searching her emotionless, amber ones.

"Why what?" she questioned.

"Wh-y are you… doing this?"

"You answer my question and I'll answer yours." She responded softly, her sharp nails digging into his scalp as she raked her hand through his dripping hair. A small whimper of pain formed in his throat as she fisted it in her hand and yanked rather harshly, "Just tell me where it is."

"I-I don't know..."

"That's too bad," Masooma hissed in a poisonously silky tone that promised nothing but anguish.

The surprised yelp died to down to choked gurgles as the hunter standing next to her yanked on the rough jute rope around Fai's neck and plunged his head underwater. He thrashed about weakly, his limbs flailing and causing him further pain as his broken arm was jostled. It was funny in a morbid way how the hunters always broke his right arm right after Masooma healed it.

He gasped hungrily as the hunter loosened his hold on the rope right after yanking him out of the water. Violent coughs wracked his body as blood speckled the wet floor. The crimson mingled with the water forming a pale inky shade barely visible against dark stone although it did reflect eerily thanks to the light fixtures in the cell. Fai rested his face on the ground, not caring about the water or the grime present there.

He had had enough. He couldn't take it anymore. He just wanted to close his eyes and die, forever forgotten by the living world. He could not find the energy to want to do otherwise. _Just kill me already. _He thought tiredly, lacking the energy to speak outloud.

As one part of his mind grew weaker and weaker, cracking and breaking under what he had been put through, another part grew desperate, angry, fortifying the shields around itself to hold on to some semblance of sanity. This was the part that had insisted that people here tormenting him like this could not be the ones he loved so dearly. That woman could _not_ be Masooma. Masooma would never do something like this to him. No matter what.

For a while now, with everything they had been pumping into his blood, this part of him had been buried deep inside his mind. It was only now as one part of Fai began to give up that this part was freed once again.

Though his body was beaten and broken and lacking strength of any kind, Fai still drew in a deep shuddering breath. That voice in the back of his head was right. This wasn't the Masooma he knew. This couldn't be the girl he had loved. She wasn't…

He opened his eyes and looked back at her again trying to find a reason that could explain what he was going through. Not a fraction of a second later, he found it.

"Not her…" he hissed, his eyes narrowing in anger as everything started making sense to him. It wasn't her! The woman turned around, observing him through shocked charcoal colored eyes.

"I'm sorry, did you say something, Fai?" she questioned as she strutted over to him, her high heels clacking loudly against the cold stone.

"_Sneakers? One would think that after living at the castle for two years you would have learnt how to dress like a proper lady, Masooma-san." Lady Raiki, a dark haired beauty with forest green eyes and the eldest daughter of Lord Reikuma Ashahito, said in a derisive tone, not even bothering to speak it politely. "I wonder what Flourite-sama sees in you to continue allowing you to be his apprentice."_

"_Something that you'll probably never understand how to use, Raiki-chan," Masooma said cheerfully though her honey colored eyes were shooting daggers at the other, "it's called a brain." An ugly expression came upon Raiki's face but before she could throw another insult at the brunette, a teasing voice interrupted._

"_Probably the only thing that allowed you to pass that test, ne Masooma-chan?" Fai grinned as he sidled up next to her, "Good evening Ashahito-san." He inclined his head politely in her direction._

"_Ah, Flourite-sama," the lady in question blushed as she lowered her gaze demurely, "good evening to you as well. It is good to see that you are faring well."_

"_Yes, I am feeling much better now." He nodded, sneaking a glance at Masooma's feet, suppressing the urge to grin as he noticed the worn out pair of black sneakers peeking out from under the hem of her shimmering silver ball gown._

"_Please accept my deepest condolences. My father and I are extremely sorry for the unfortunate circumstances that caused you to withdraw from the contest." Raiki said in a somber tone as she looked up at him through long lashes. Beside him, he felt Masooma frown slightly._

"_Thank you for your concern, Ashahito-san. Your father as well." He nodded once again, feeling slightly amused at his apprentice's irritation. "Are you enjoying yourself so far?"_

"_Oye, Fai," Masooma spoke up before Raiki could respond, "I'll leave you alone to flirt with her for as long as you like. Just tell me where the heck Nixon has wandered off to?"_

"_Masooma-san!" Raiki gasped, feeling enraged and probably embarrassed as well._

"_Aww…" Fai pouted, his expression turning mischievous as he continued, "is my favorite apprentice by any chance… jealous?"_

"_Psh…" Masooma huffed, quickly turning on her heel as she started stomping away in anger, "Like I need to be jealous of _her._" _

"_Ashahito-san, if you could excuse me," Fai bowed towards her slightly before turning around and hurrying off after the girl dressed in a shimmering silver gown with her hair done up in a simple yet elegant knot, leaving part of the strands loose to fall around her neck in ringlets. "Masooma, wait up!" he called after her as she ducked into the hall adjoining the refreshment room which was where Fai had originally found her._

"_You shouldn't have run off like that you know," Fai breathed in her ear as he came upon her figure frozen in the doorway to the dance hall. Masooma absolutely hated to slow dance, probably because she was a horrible dancer but he'd never say that to her. Slipping her hand in his own and placing the other around her waist, he steered her towards the dance floor as the music changed and a new song began to play. "Let's dance."_

"_Fai, you _know_ I absolutely suck at dancing to slow songs," she looked away, trying to pull her hand back._

"_And you know I don't mind when you step on my toes." He grinned back easily as he pulled her to him, "and luckily for me, you're wearing your sneakers again so the damage won't be as much as if I had chosen to dance with Ashahito-san."_

"_Raiki is probably one of _the_ best dancers out in this whole court. Well, female dancers," she corrected herself, frowning slightly as she looked down and noticed that she had managed to step thrice on his feet already. "Put her in heels that are ten feet high and she'd still be as elegant as a princess."_

"_But she'll never be as smart as my most favorite apprentice." Fai said as he spun her around once before placing his hand on her waist again._

"_Don't you mean your _only_ apprentice?" she said with a small grin before looking over his shoulder towards the entrance to the hall. "Yugh! How the heck can she stand walking around in those things let alone dancing in them?" she exclaimed in disgust, nodding her head in the direction of Raiki who had just passed behind them twirling in the arms of her partner. _

_Fai merely shrugged, knowing full well the consequences of what the answer he had in mind would end him up with. _

"_I think I have tortured you enough for the night," she mumbled as the music changed and she tried to slip out of his arms, "I should probably get going. From the looks Raiki is shooting in my direction, she'll murder me if I keep her precious _Flourite-sama_ any longer."_

"_I'm really glad you're wearing sneakers with that dress," Fai said, tightening his hold on her waist as he steered her towards the centre of the stage, "this might have been torture _if_ you had been wearing those stilettos that originally came with this dress."_

"_Well then I suppose it's a good thing that I've vowed never to wear death traps like those for the rest of my life," she managed a grin after she had overcome her initial shock, "Ever!" she declared with a laugh, before tripping over her feet and falling into Fai's chest. _

"You're not… Masooma," he growled angrily when her blond locks brushed his face as she leant over him.

Suddenly someone kicked him in the ribs, making him curl into himself in an attempt to protect his body.

"Give him a shot," the woman before him said coldly as one of the hunters tugged non too gently on the rope around his neck, making the pale injured skin burn as it oozed blood from the wounds inflicted by the cord. He struggled violently, feeling his slightly elongated claws scratch at his captors arms, drawing a bit of their blood in retaliation. It wasn't much but it still made him feel a bit better knowing that he was returning the favor. The blond woman watched on coolly as another crony advanced on him with what appeared to be a long, thin needle.

"No!" he grunted, his legs uselessly trying to push him away from the man coming closer every passing second as his arms tried to free him from the others' hold. "I'm _not_… letting you put… that shit in me again!"

"You don't have any choice in the matter, Fai," the blond woman purred, though her eyes remained identical to two chips of ice. Growling very much like a cornered wolf, Fai lashed out, his claws sinking in the arm of the man about to plunge the needle in his flesh. The man let go of the object in his hand in favor of nursing his injured arm that appeared to be have been torn open to the bone. Feeling emboldened by this, Fai twisted in his captors' hold, not caring that the rope was further tearing at the delicate flesh on his neck. He wouldn't let them pull a curtain over his eyes again. It was definitely the drug that was messing with his head. It had to be. Why else would he think that that woman was someone he loved? He sunk his claws in one man's gut while his leg connected with the others head in a surprising show of agility. He neither knew nor cared about where he was finding the energy to fight back from but he was sure of one thing. If he didn't get out of there soon enough, he was done for. Just as he spun around to deal with the last of the men, he found himself staring in cold, endless pools of black nothingness as something sharp stung his chest. Taking a shuddering gasp, he looked down noticing the needle sticking out of his ribcage. Still unable to fully comprehend what had happened, he looked up to see the woman grin at him wickedly.

"Sorry, but you're not getting out of here anytime soon." She said as she took a step back while Fai collapsed on his knees, his whole body beginning to shudder as pain began to blossom out from the spot where the thin metal had pierced his body. He looked up blearily to see Masooma's face looking back at him as the part of his mind that was still whole and relatively stable was pushed in the back once more.

He tried to tell himself that this wasn't real, that the woman before him was not who she appeared to be but as she reached out and yanked the needle from his chest, he no longer knew what to believe as wave upon wave of blinding pain crashed upon him. He cried out, grasping at his chest with blunt edged nails as he tried to breath, the pain crushing his lungs, pulsating, intensifying till blackness tinged his vision, the world spinning around him as he crashed on his side, his throat hoarse from the screams that erupted from his lips.

He couldn't see anything but the blackness threatening to crush him from all sides, hear nothing but his own cries echoing around him, feel nothing but the pain, _pain, __**pain… **_ A steel toed boot connected with his ribs, his chest caving in under the pressure as something snapped. Fai's eyes widened as he gasped and choked on the blood and spit dribbling down his chin. For a moment the curtain of silence and darkness lifted as he distantly saw Masooma's back recede along with her hunter cronies as the room echoed with their jeering laughter overlapped by the clack of high heeled shoes Masooma wore.

Fai wasn't able to sense the spike of magic in the air as invisible strands of magic caused the roof of his cell to cave in, depositing the slightly translucent figure of a chocolate haired boy in his late teens.

"_Damn it, no! Syaoran!"_ Fai heard a familiar voice scream as he writhed on the floor in agony.

"Syao-ran-kun?" he choked weakly, the blackness once again encroaching his vision as his body began to grow numb. Blood continue to leak from his mouth, adding to the already pale pink puddle surrounding him as he lay on his side on the grimy floor. He could hardly breathe, his chest rattling with every gasp as his heart fluttered weakly beneath his chest. Everything hurt and burnt like there was liquid fire pouring all over his body, eating him alive from the outside while his blood seemed to freeze like ice. His head was pounding and the world was spinning and twisting and turning and nothing made sense to him as his body began to shut down.

"_It's good to see that at least _one_ of you is getting a taste of what you put Syaoran through."_ Syaoran's face swam in his hazy vision, "_I swear to God, if _anything_ happens to my son, I will kill you all with my own two hands."_

_**A/N: dun dun dun! Syaoran has finally arrived. And it looks like he is not very happy with the situation or Fai for that matter. Stay tuned to find out what happens next. I hope you guys liked the little glimpse into Fai's past. We'll be visiting Clow once more in the coming chapter. Till next time. **_

_**Tata!**_


	15. Blank II

_**A/N: Syaoran time!**_

_**Enjoy. ^_^**_

A week had passed since Sakura had extracted Syaoran-san's soul from Syaoran's body and sent the former to Fai while she herself looked through the latter's memories. As she saw more and more of what her beloved had been through, she fervently hoped that Syaoran-san would be able to help Fai till she and Kurogane got to that world to rescue him. Kurogane had already told her the story about the rules of that world that were keeping the Magi living in Magihidusi from helping Fai. Even the Oracle, it seemed, was tied down by these rules. But that didn't mean that Fai would suffer any less.

Heaving a sigh, she shifted the tray in her hand before politely knocking on the door to Syaoran's room. Syaoran was still not responding to her, or anyone else, for that matter. He had yet to even utter a single word from his mouth.

He was always staring off into space with that horribly blank look in his eyes. He'd remain in whatever position he was for hours on end, not moving unless someone else moved him. The only reactions he gave were when someone tried to touch him. He'd shy away from the contact but only just barely, as though if he had given up on it altogether. He flinched whenever Yukito tried to touch him to heal his injuries and had reacted the worst when it was Kurogane that was touching him. With Sakura, his reaction was only a little better. So far, to the great annoyance of both Touya and Kurogane, Syaoran seemed to be at the greatest ease with the prince. Which wasn't much altogether, but it was something when compared to his reactions to the others.

Though the thing to be kept in mind was that he allowed only the briefest of contacts before seizing up completely, and that too when he was approached slowly. It had also been a week since he had eaten anything solid and that was something that was worrying Sakura greatly. Sure, before now they had provided his body with the nutrients intravenously whenever he was passed out, but he _had_ to start eating soon.

It was scary how thin and frail his body had become. He even refused to drink water, paling at the sight of it whenever someone approached him with a glass, but Sakura was still slightly delighted to discover that he had drank the glass she had left at his bedside the previous day. But that had happened when he had been alone. He refused to eat any medicines to aid in his recovery and he always started shaking uncontrollably when faced with a needle.

So every time they had given him nutrient via drip, they had laced it with sleep inducing drugs to keep him from waking up and freaking out in the middle of it.

She waited a couple of seconds before softly pushing the door open. It was late in the afternoon and Syaoran lay unmoving on the bed, staring listlessly at the ceiling. He gave no indication to acknowledge her presence as she set the tray on the table next to his bed.

Slowly, so as not to startle him, Sakura placed her hands on his bare shoulders, moving them under his armpits to lift his body into a sitting position. Although he stiffened at her touch, he did nothing else as she rested his back against the headboard. Refusing to meet her gaze, he lowered his eyes to stare blankly at his hands.

"Syaoran, please," Sakura said, looking directly at him, "eat something." He gave no indication of having heard her, though he did clench his fists around the blanket a little.

"Syaoran," she tried again, not letting his reaction discourage her. At least he wasn't trying to crawl away from her. Cautiously sitting on the bed by his side, she lifted the bowl of chicken broth and held it out for him, but Syaoran stubbornly kept his head lowered.

Heaving a sigh, she placed the bowl back, moving closer to him, noticing the way his body stiffened. His knuckles turned white from the forceful way in which he was clutching the blanket.

"Syaoran," she reached out with her hand and he flinched, shrinking back from her touch, but she cupped his face anyway. "You should eat."

Several long moments passed with the two sitting in that manner, till she let her hand drop by her side with a barely suppressed sigh. "I'm going to go check on Moko-chan." She told him as she climbed to her feet, "You should finish the broth while it's still warm. I made it for you myself."

-0-

Meeting Kurogane's gaze for a short while, Sakura picked up another tray of food, this time the bowl filled with a thick broth of sorts.

"Mokona is still not responding to any of the spells. Yukito-kun is going to try a new set of revival spells on her tomorrow."

"And the kid?" he questioned, not having the heart to go check on the shell of his former student himself.

"I'm going to try and see if he'll eat." She mumbled softly, pushing through the doorway to enter the boy's room.

Syaoran had not moved from the sitting position that Sakura had helped him into that afternoon. He was merely staring at the blank expanse of the wall in front of him.

"Syaoran," she said softly, seating herself beside him on the bed, "Please eat something."

No reaction.

"You need to get well, Syaoran." She tried again. The bowl of soup she had left at his bedside was untouched. "Why won't you eat anything?"

Tears prickled her eyes when he turned his head away from her and stared at where the bed met the wall. Sakura closed her eyes for a moment to keep the saltine water at bay and in a moment of sudden inspiration, she was struck with a dangerously stupid idea that made her grin and blush at the same time.

Forcing back the blush that threatened to burn her cheeks right off her face, however, Sakura decided to act on it before she lost her nerve. Opening her eyes, she scooted closer to Syaoran till she was sitting right in front him. Ignoring the way he tensed up, she twisted at her waist so that she was directly facing him as she pulled the bowl of broth closer to her.

Swallowing thickly, she filled a spoon with the thick, warm liquid and brought it to her lips. Keeping it in her mouth, she replaced the spoon and reached out with slightly trembling fingers to cup Syaoran's cheek, turning his face so that he was looking at her with a slightly panicked look in his otherwise glazed eyes. Quickly, before her own courage left her, Sakura leaned forwards till she was pressing her lips against Syaoran's.

She felt her blush darken as she realized that this was the first time they were kissing, not counting the time she had performed CPR on him.

Her heart hammered wildly against her chest as she saw his amber eyes widen ever so slightly. Refusing to stop now that she was almost there, Sakura parted her lips, letting a small amount of broth touch Syaoran's slightly chapped lips. Just as she had been hoping, Syaoran opened his mouth reflexively and inwardly grinning, Sakura pushed the remainder of the food into his mouth, using her tongue to coax his lips further apart. Once she had transferred every last bit, she gently forced his lips shut with her own before moving away with a heavy blush painting her cheeks.

Syaoran stared at her in shock for appeared to be hours before he clenched his fist even harder as his throat moved and he swallowed what she had just fed him. Not missing a beat, Sakura took the next bite, repeating the whole process all over again, knowing full well that even though he was hungry and practically starved, Syaoran would never touch the bowl of food himself.

The third time she did this, a small whimper formed in Syaoran's throat as he hungrily parted his lips the minute she had pressed hers against his. He screwed his eyes shut after that, but allowed her to feed him nonetheless till all the broth was gone from the bowl.

Sakura grinned happily at that, glad to have made him finally eat something, but her grin faltered when she saw how pale Syaoran was and how his whole body trembled ever so slightly as he kept his eyes clenched, holding his breath as though afraid she would lash out and hit him any second now.

"Syaoran," she said and her heat broke when he visibly flinched at the sound of her voice. "You can sleep if you want to now. I'm going to go check on Moko-chan again."

But he gave no reaction to her, remaining as still as a statue… or, well, a shuddering statue anyways. Collecting the bowl, she placed it in the tray before setting it on the ground near her feet.

"Call me if you need anything, alright?" she said, smiling slightly as she climbed to her feet, refusing to let the tears flow even as they threatened to spill from her eyes like rivers of salty water. Picking up the tray from the floor, she turned her back on the brunette's trembling form as she quietly approached the door and slipped through it, silently shutting it behind her.

_**A/N: Now how many of you went 'Awwww….. *_* ' ? Review if you found that cute. Review even if you didn't find that cute. I'm not really gonna say anything else here. but we'll see more of Fai next time, so stay tuned.**_

_**-Nims**_


	16. Burning

_**A/N: I know you guys had been wondering about why the hunters were doing what they did to Syaoran. Well, I think it's time for you all to find out. **_

_**But I suppose I should reply to the reviews first since fanfiction is being pretty stupid these past few days and I haven't been able to reply to anyone. So even though I don't like writing responses in chapters and would have preferred getting back to you guys personally, I'm afraid this will have to do for now. You guys can just skip over the following parts in bold if you have no interest in reading them.**_

_**HappyHam : Yes. She got him to eat. If he wasn't so afraid of her, I'm afraid I wouldn't have more thn half the plot for this thing. ^_^; Don't worry though. I don't like the hunters very much either. The answer r to that question shall be revealed in this chapter so read on. **_

_**talkstoangels77 : Hey… did you just put me in the same category as her? *sniffles* I can't believe you think I'm a crazy lady who loves torture. (Kurogane: What else should she think after reading what you've been doing to the kid and the mage in this story of yours?) *shoves him in a closet* who invited him? Ahem… well yeah. True. She might have kissed him while pretending to be Sakura but she never did that for him.**_

_**IceQueen987 : Lol, maybe that is exactly why Fai is staying away from you? I mean, if you went all the way to the moon, you wouldn't get to work on your update. (yes, I am going to keep on bugging you about it until you put up the new chapter and let me see that fic we discussed about a while back.**_

_**Tomi Lang : Mother bird, huh? Never really thought about it that way but now that you mention it… *laughs* No fluff in this one but I hope you'll still enjoy it. ;D  
**_

_**Lollipop Stealer : Awww… Thanks. ^_^ I wish I could but I seriously don't have the time for that right now. But I swear, once my vacations start you'd be able to read to your heart's content. Nah, I still think Mokona is Mokona. :P**_

_**neko-chan cat eyedgirl meong : I'm still working on that one. It's gonna be a long update so I'm hoping it will be worth the wait. Better keep your fingers crossed. ;) ;) Syaoran is perfectly capable of moving on his, he's not paralyzed or anything but he 'won't' move. Or rather, he's just gone into a… what was that word… Oh yeah. Stupor. He's gone into stupor due to the whole shock of having Syaoran's spirit forcibly removed from his body. That coupled with the trauma induced from nearly dying did that. (I wonder, if you stop breathing and your heart stops beating but you are still resuscitated, would you be considered dead for the time your heart wasn't beating?) Really? Which fic would that be?**_

_**Kyrione**__** : You wanna be fed like that by Sakura? o.O? Or do you happen to have someone else in mind, hmmm? *grins* ahem, well anyhow, I hope you would love Syaoran's reactions in this one too. ;) ;)**_

_**Ice Vixen X: Hmm… which cliffy would you be talking about here? the one with Fai and Syaoran? Or the one with the whole blank eyes thing? *laughs* No, I did not study this as a subject. I don't think it's taught in normal universities. But to tell you the truth, I would have sucked in real life. It might be kind of hard to believe but blood makes me very queasy in real life. I'm not phobic or anything but the amount of blood that's involved here… I think that's probably the only reason why I didn't pursue a career in medicine.**_

_**lojeloce of namimori: Why, thank you. ^_^ **_

_**Anonymous: **__** Thanks. Well that is understandable. You can just skip over them if you want but seeing as this 'is' a torture-fic… ^_^; Cloney is still pretty angry so it might not happen so soon but there is a reason as to why he is there with Fai right now. **_

_**Justice333: *grins* Thanks.**_

_**And that takes care of that. Now that I'm done with the responses, Enjoy!**_

_**And don't forget to leave a review. This might be the only update for a while though since my finals start in about a fortnight so I'm gonna be busy busy busy. ^_^;**_

"_So ready to tell me what happened after you two left Celes?" Fai questioned in a deceptively light tone, but Kurogane could see the hardness lurking just behind those light blue eyes._

"_Do you remember the events that led to us leaving?" Nixon answered quietly._

"_I can't forget them even if I wanted to." The blond responded somberly and Kurogane had a vague suspicion that it must have been something bad._

"_A group similar to that one exists in this world, as I'm sure you would have figured out by now."_

"_Did they get her?" Fai said softly and funnily enough, for the first time in ages, Kurogane was unable to determine what was going on in the magician's head._

"_Fai-san?" Syaoran said hesitantly, unsure about whether he ought to ask for an explanation about this group that existed here and in the Mage's adopted homeworld or whether he should just let him be and try and puzzle it out himself. "What… What group is Nixon-san talking about?"_

"_In Celes, people revered magic," Fai answered quietly, his gaze distant as he looked at the brunette and Kurogane felt as though the blond was looking into the past as he spoke. "But there were those who hated the mages because of their supposedly unholy powers. A group of such people formed an anti-magic society, quietly picking off mages, one by one, draining them of their powers before murdering them in cold blood. When the numbers of missing magicians began to rise at an alarming rate, Ashura-ou sent out his very best to apprehend them. We succeeded in capturing."_

"_They were all sentenced to a public execution."_

"_What happened?" this time it was Kurogane who broke the silence that followed the blonde's statement._

"_We managed to free the few Mages they had captive at the time," Nixon replied for him, "That was Masooma's first time as a healer. The things that they had done to them…" the Oracle trailed off, frowning in revulsion, "you don't need eyes to know what they went through."_

"_I remember the look on your face," Fai laughed, though Kurogane could tell his heart wasn't in it. "You couldn't even eat something without throwing up for the three days that followed."_

"_Well… not everyone has a stomach made of steel," the blind man retorted, glaring at the blond in mock anger. Which in itself was quite surprising seeing as the man couldn't exactly _see._ "And if I recall correctly, you refused to leave your room for the whole day."_

"_That was Masooma-chan after her first session." Fai corrected, his expression turning solemn as his eyes followed the path the girl had just taken a short while ago. "But she pulled herself together the very next morning, bringing together other healers to work with her in the infirmary."_

"_She sounds like a very strong person." Syaoran stated softly, his gaze resting on the unmoving form of the white dimension hopper._

"_She is," the blond agreed with a soft smile, something akin to pride showing on his face. "Which is why, it's so surprising." The last part, he had addressed to the Oracle, turning to look at him through hard eyes._

"_I foresaw what Ashura would end up doing to Celes," Nixon turned his back towards Fai, as though hoping it would shield him from the blonde's piercing blue-eyed gaze. Kurogane saw the magician stiffen slightly before he sagged on the edge of the bed where Mokona lay._

"_So that's why you took her and left." He murmured, laughing humorlessly to himself as he ran a hand through his hair._

"_My station as Oracle was only enough to protect _me_ and only me from curses. Had we stayed… She would have died along with everyone else."_

"_That still doesn't explain what happened to you two."_

"_When we arrived in this world, we actually emerged quite close to Metropolis." The Oracle spoke softly, "The hunters have ways to monitor magical activity and the transportation spell must have set their alarms blaring. They were upon us in mere minutes." He said, his voice sounding distant, as though reliving the memory, "It all happened so fast. I don't even remember how but somehow, they separated us. I managed to outrun them but they got their hands on Masooma." His frame shook lightly, but the vibe he gave was more of regret and barely suppressed anger rather than sadness, "I tried going after her, but I was injured badly. A mage found me and brought me here to Magihidusi. As soon as I was able to walk, I tried to leave to look for her but… I had no idea where the hunters had taken her. "_

"_I can sense auras perfectly fine to make up for this blindness of mine yet I was unable to locate her. I didn't know what to do. I tried to get the mages' help to find her but they all refused. That was when I came to know the history of this world." Nixon inhaled deeply, holding his breath for a few moments before letting it rush out his nose._

"_About half a millennia back or so, there was a great war in this world between the ordinary humans and the mages for the right to rule over this world by controlling the very life force of this planet. Countless lives were lost on both sides, and in the end, the essence receded deep within the nature itself, weakening the Magi who greatly relied on that powerful aura to amplify their magic. Without it, they were weakened and the humans emerged victorious, forcing the surviving Magi to go into hiding. They built underground cities like these, casting spells to make them undetectable by humans. Unfortunately, humans were not willing to forget all the lives that had been lost. Somehow, they managed to infiltrate other magical havens, slaughtering all that came in their path. Magihidusi was the only city that remained unplottable. As the saying goes, bloodshed demands more bloodshed, the Magi council wanted revenge for their fallen brethren. So they renewed their efforts to locate the essence. About two hundred and fifty years ago, they succeeded. But since, their intentions were selfish, the essence summoned a Shaman to curse the elders. Thinking they were above such things as the curse, having lived over a quarter of a millennium, they decided to face the hunters on their own. They _were_ supposed to be strong enough to take them down."_

"_Did they succeed?"_

"_I wish they had," Nixon shook his head, "They were captured by the hunters. Tortured for days on the end, interrogated, and then finally murdered once the hunters had the information they needed. 'The Magi had rediscovered the essence.' Afraid that the Magi might use it and try to take back the world from them, the hunters marched down with a large army. They were upon the very gates of Magihidusi before the Shaman appeared before the city's ruling council of the time, offering a deal to them. In exchange for swearing their lives to protect the secret and the location of the essence, the Shaman would ward Magihidusi so that none of the hunters may ever be able to enter here."_

"_Knowing they were otherwise outnumbered by the hunters by ten to one, the council had no choice but to agree. The entrance to the last haven for the magical kind became invisible to all non-magical beings as soon as the last of the council members were in a magically binding contract with the Shaman. The only way out of this deal was death. Unable to enter, the hunters resorted to capturing any Magi that dared to venture out to the surface, refining their interrogative methods over the years in hopes of breaking their prey enough to find a way to get inside the city or a way to get their hands on the essence. Fortunately, or unfortunately, the nature of the curse and the contract, that the Shaman placed, renders all those that know of its location unable to disclose its whereabouts to those not in the contract. Funnily enough, it also makes them unable to use the essence for their own purpose."_

"_How did you get to Masooma if you were unable to find her?" Fai spoke up all of a sudden._

"_I didn't." he responded resentfully, "for almost nine excruciating days. I couldn't find her, no matter what I did. Oh I knew what she was going through alright," he laughed but there was no joy there, it sounded just like the look on his face, hollow, cold and bitter, "all the time. Her cries and screams wouldn't leave me alone, the visions of her face, bruised , burnt and cut up, the sight of her body, beaten, broken and violated… you have no idea what it felt like. Knowing it all yet being unable to do _anything_." Kurogane hazarded a glance in Fai's direction. The blonde's complexion was even paler than usual, his lips pressed together in a thin line, eyes narrowed in anger, an icy fire alight in those blue orbs as he continued staring at the Oracle's back, "By the tenth day, I was at my wits end."_

"_What did you do?" Fai asked sharply._

"_You know, that damned Shaman of theirs," Nixon responded, refusing to answer the question posed by the blond, "that bastard had prophesized my arrival to the Magi of this world. On the night he turned the council members into the very first guardians of the essence."_

"_Nixon," he moved so fast that Kurogane suspected the magician to have subconsciously tapped into his vampire speed. "What the fuck did you do?" Although the ninja was taken aback by Fai's sudden use of such vulgar language seeing as the magician _never_ swore, he was even more shocked to see the blond violently shaking the Oracle as he demanded answers. Fai was the calm one. The collected one. For him to have lost his cool like that…_

"_What I had promised you I would do before we left Celes," he answered, not in the least bit phased by his friend's sudden volatile behavior. "Protect her."_

"_I had no other way to save her, Fai. I was desperate. I could feel her breaking apart as that _bastard_…" taking in a deep shuddering breath, Nixon started again, "I summoned the Shaman and got inside Metropolis. I almost blew up that bastard when I got there. I couldn't see her but I knew she was in a bad state seeing as I knew what they had been planning to do to her. But their reinforcements were coming so I could only grab her and get out."_

"_There's something you're still not telling me." Fai had let go of him by now, having reigned in his emotions, leaving his face bare of any expressions, his voice refusing to betray his feelings. To the onlooker, he appeared the perfect picture of tranquility and detachment, but Kurogane could tell that this was merely the calm before the storm._

"_Masooma and I are the new guardians of the essence."_

-0-

He paced the dark cell like a caged wolf, growling angrily at the prone form lying in the middle in a murky pool of water. His teeth were bared, eyes narrowed in immense hatred and worry. Hatred towards the unmoving man, and worry for the defenseless child he had left behind. He knew he was not able to touch anything in this form, and he had no doubt that he would remain unheard by all but the unconscious mage trapped in this cell with him.

He had no idea what the princess had done but one thing was sure, he could not leave this cell. Every time he tried to walk through the wall, a strange, magical force would pull him back. It was almost like Sakura had bonded him to this place.

No. Not this place.

She had bonded him to Fai.

The bastard who had taken pleasure in tormenting his precious son, reveled in the pained cries of the teen, jeered and laughed at his tears. She had bonded him to that bastard. Not that she herself had been any better. How long had Syaoran begged her to stop, how long had he pleaded for her to spare him? Had she ever conceded? No. Of course she took great care to always heal his body when things took a turn for the worse so that he would not be able to escape through death. She would caress his face, wipe away his tears, kiss him tenderly, look at him in that loving manner and get him to let his guard down. Every single fucking time, his son- who was oh-so-in-love with her- would fool himself into believing that maybe this time, she'd act differently, maybe this time she'd spare him. Maybe, just maybe, she would take him away from there.

But she would flip the switch in less than a minute, and return to her cold, sadistic ways just when he would be at his most vulnerable state. Syaoran knew that there was something special in this world that had caused his previously dormant spirit to awaken in Tsubasa's body. This world had a strange, humming energy that brought him back to awareness, so he had no doubt that his _wife's_ spirit in her original's body had awakened too. But like her original, his wife, had done nothing to help them. She had gone along with Sakura's twisted ways and tormented his son and, through extension, himself for endless hours.

Kurogane, his supposed mentor, his teacher, his father-figure, had been no better than the other two. He could still recall the sneer on the older man's face as he had pierced Tsubasa's flesh with his sword. The very sword he had sworn to use to protect the ones he loved. He had used the very fucking thing to slice apart the muscles of Tsubasa's legs and arms, filleting it as slowly and painfully as humanly possible, _laughing_ at the way Tsubasa would cry out in pain till his throat would itself refuse to function, bleeding just like the skin that would be sliced away.

Oh, they'd never leave him like that, of course. Sakura- God! Even thinking her name made bile rise up his throat in disgust and hatred- she always made sure to heal him right after his sessions with ninja. Couldn't have him dying, she had told him after one such session. He was much too fun to torment to let him die so soon. Had she figured out somehow that Syaoran had been shielding Tsubasa's mind from the worst parts of the torture, protecting him from within when he could do nothing from the outside? Was that the reason why she had ripped him out of Tsubasa's body like that and then sent him here? Bonding him to the magician so he could not go back to protect his precious son from whatever horrors they would make him relive through his memories. He still couldn't understand what it was that Tsubasa had done wrong to warrant such hatred from his former companions that they would want to destroy him completely, mind, body and soul. His son had loved that girl with all his heart. Why had she done it?

He couldn't figure it out. But one thing was clear. Tsubasa was in mortal danger without him there to protect him. His son's body had grown too fragile from the repeated beatings, torture and starvation. His mind was on the verge of breaking completely…

Tsubasa could not survive on his own. He needed Syaoran there to protect him. But how could he do that when he wasn't even on the same fucking _world?_

He needed to find a way to get back. He needed to save his son from further harm. And then, once Tsubasa was safe and away from those monsters, he would make them pay. Make them all feel the pain Tsubasa went through. They'd all pay. They'd all feel what he felt. They'd all beg for mercy, beg for him to stop but he won't.

Oh no, no, no, he won't.

A sadistic grin flitted across his lips as he stopped pacing around and turned to watch the pathetic form crumpled on the floor before him. He'd make them all beg for death, starting with this magician. So what if he could not physically touch them, he could still make them feel pain. Even when blinded with rage, he had still noticed Kurogane's reaction when he had tried to kick him.

Crouching down next to the unmoving body of the mage drawing in shallow, raspy breaths, Syaoran reached out with his right hand till it was hovering over the other's chest. He stopped for a moment, taking in the magician's face. He couldn't help but feel a twinge of satisfaction in the way Fai's face was contorted in pain, how his brow was furrowed and twitched every now and then, how he let out soft moans every few seconds.

_**Borderline Graphic Torture:**_

Not feeling even a hint of remorse, Syaoran plunged his hand into the other's chest, reveling in the way the man's whole body shuddered before seizing up as he groaned. Even if he could pass through objects, he could still partially feel them, so there was no doubt about it that they could feel him too. Fai's heart was pulsating inside his fingers like a fragile bird fluttering in a cage, trying to look for ways to break free. It was warm, though, warm and soft and surprisingly barren of the thorns Syaoran had suspected might have grown in it judging from their treatment of Tsubasa. The muscle was working furiously to keep the mage's body warm enough for the bastard to stay alive. As much as he hated the man though, he knew he had to let him live for now. But that didn't mean it had to be a painless existence. Thinking about all the things this man had done to Tsubasa, he tightened his fingers, feeling them move through the other's heart as he partially squeezed it.

Fai gasped in pain, his hand subconsciously clutching at his chest right through Syaoran's arm as he whimpered. Syaoran's grin only widened at that. This was only the beginning for that bastard. He'd make him free Syaoran from that bond his wife had placed him in, and then he'd get him to take him back to Tsubasa. After he was through with him, he'd be begging for him to kill him.

Feeling the other writhe in agony beneath him, Syaoran squeezed harder. He had to feel this pain. He deserved it. If Tsubasa had felt it, then so should Fai. The mage's broken body trembled badly as Syaoran increased the pressure, making the older man cry out in agony as he returned to consciousness.

_**End of Torture**_

The blissful darkness that had wrapped its ebony wings around his mind began to recede as pain shot through his chest, spreading outwards as a freezing fire enveloped his heart. He couldn't breathe. His fingers weakly tried to pry apart the thing that was holding his heart within his chest as a heavy haze settled around his mind. It hurt! Oh, God, it hurt! It was like invisible fingers were wrapped around his beating heart, trying to squeeze the life out of him.

He wanted it to stop.

"Stop." He tried to say but no words escaped his lips. The pressure increased, his whole body shuddering in feverish tremors as he tried to speak out again. "Please. Stop." Only a heavy groan reached his ears.

Suddenly the fingers tightened into a fist and he couldn't take it anymore. His eyes flew open as he let out an anguished scream. At first he couldn't register anything except the for the pain in his heart as it felt like it was being crushed inside a fist of ice, but slowly, his vision registered the pair of cold, amber eyes staring down at him from beneath messy, chocolate colored hair.

"S-Syaoran-kun!" he gasped, partially in shock, partially in agony as the intense burning sensation spread to his shoulders, neck and arms. He was sure he had sent the brunette away with his other companions to Clow. How could he be here now? Was this some sort of trick his mind had conjured to mess with him?

_Can't take what you dished out, Fai?_ Syaoran mocked angrily, the boy's normally gentle face twisted into an ugly expression as he stared at him in hatred. _I'm going to make sure you suffer before I kill you. _For some reason, the chocolate haired boy's words cut him deep, like a knife to the gut, as he struggled to draw a breath. The brunette crouching above him sent a malicious smirk his way as pressure on his heart let up for a fraction of a second before the heavy weight returned and the mage screamed out loud.

His eyes widened as his back arched against the pain, and his legs thrashed uselessly on the floor. The pressure let up again only to return with a vengeance, threatening to crush his wildly beating heart. Darkness lovingly spread its arms to embrace him like a mother does to its child. The liquid fire continued to spread, moving to his jaw, his abdomen, his arms, as he began to stiffen. Fai felt lightheaded, his eyes fluttering weakly, a feeling of faint settling over him as sweat dotted his otherwise trembling frame.

Though still beating frantically, pushing against the pressure that threatened to crush it, Fai's heartbeat started to grow unsteady, the small organ missing beats every now and then.

As he began to lose himself to the very thing he had woken up from not seconds before, the magician vaguely wondered if this was finally it. Was he finally going to die at the hands of the boy he had thought he had managed to save?

_**A/N: This chapter has got to be my most favorite so far. Out of everything that I have posted so far, which one would be yours? And for what reason? I'd love to hear what you have to say.**_

_**Oh and if you weren't able to figure it out since I didn't outright say it, Fai was having a heart attack in the last few paragraphs. The symptoms I put in here are all accurate. Although I don't think a person having a heart attack would be able to scream. ^_^; Anyhow, I hope you enjoyed reading Cloney's POV since it was quite fun to write. The idea for him trying to crush Fai's heart was born from a discussion I was having with a friend of mine who wanted to write a chapter in his POV. Last I heard from her, she had it all done but was waiting for me to put this up before she put that up. I would have included a link to it here but I haven't been able to get in touch with her for a while now so yeah… when she uploads it though, I'll include a link for it. I think I have rambled for quite long so I'll be off now.**_

_**~bye**_


	17. Berserk II

_**A/N: Sorry guys… I've been pretty busy and I've kind of lost inspiration for pretty much all of my fics since I have a lot on my mind and its keeping me occupied quite a lot. So I apologize for the slow updates… I have the next chapters for Whispers in the Dark, Shattered Secrets, Prisoners of War and World of Shadows all half written but I'm not sure when exactly I'll be able to finish writing them so for my readers of those fics… I apologize for prolonging the delay but I might be uploading small previews for those chapters sometime in the future just so you know I haven't given up yet. **_

_**And now, please go ahead and enjoy!**_

Sakura groggily sat up in bed, blinking sleepily a couple of times. Hearing soft noises, she frowned, furrowing her brows in concentration as she tried to identify the sounds. It was a quiet and peaceful night, and no one seemed to be awake at the time.

"No…" she heard a soft moan and immediately sprang to her feet, rushing through the door that joined her room to the one beside it. The one that she had had Syaoran moved to the very day he started eating again a week ago. Syaoran had definitely been showing signs of improvement over the past few days. True, he still hadn't spoken a word to her, but she heard him mumble in his sleep every now and then.

He no longer acted like a deer caught in the headlights of a speeding truck every time someone entered a room. No, he now acted like a fox stuck in the headlights of a speeding truck, observing everything through his partially glazed-over brown eyes. They followed the movement of everything that went around in his room instead of staring off blankly into space. Unfortunately, he had developed an unnaturally high fever a couple of days back. One that no matter what she or the other healers did for him, refused to go down by even a single degree.

"P-Please…" Hearing that pained groan made her push the door connecting the two rooms much faster than normal as she rushed inside. She stopped by his bedside, her heart clenching painfully at the sight that greeted her.

Syaoran appeared to be stuck in the throes of a nightmare, his lower body tangled in the sheets, fighting with them as he thrashed, his expression pained and fearful. A half-smothered sob escaped his lips as his face scrunched up. Sakura wasn't sure what to do as she helplessly watched him struggle, his lips parting in a loud, terrified a cry, "Please… Stop!"

Sakura took a step inside before freezing. What would she be able to do to help him? She could try waking him up but she knew that in situations like these, waking up a person didn't always help the person's mind escape from the nightmare. In certain cases, the person would rather become violent in attempts to protect themselves, unable to distinguish dream from reality. And in his current state, she knew that would do more harm than good. She had gone through his memories and taken special note of how they had healed him after his torture sessions. It was true they always made sure to repair the skin and muscles to stop the bleeding, but that was all their magic ever did. It never repaired the deeper damage, leaving it as it was, which explained the state of Syaoran's arm upon his arrival. That was also one of the reasons why it was taking her so long to heal him. If Syaoran were to fight in this state, he would only serve to reopen many of his internal wounds, and that would set his recovery back by almost a fortnight.

"Gaaaargh!" he screamed in agony, his left hand scrabbling at the cast on his right arm, trying to pull it off, as his whole body continued to convulse violently. "Fai-san! No, please!" Sakura could only watch in mortification as his back arched off the bed at an impossible angle as he tried to twist and turn his arms to try and reach it. A second later he slumped back, his body half-curling up as he wrapped his arms around his stomach to protect them from invisible blows. "K-Kuro…gane-san… Stop…" he began to sob, the fight seemingly leaving his body though in the pale moonlight filtering in through the windows, she could see the way his face was scrunched up in pain. Swallowing once, she let instinct take over as she moved to his side. Careful so as not to startle him, she slid an arm around his shoulders, wincing as his weak punch hit her in the side. "No! Please… leave me alone." Refusing to let go even as he fought against her touch, she lifted his terribly light body up and pulled him closer to herself.

"Sakura-hime… D-Don't make them hit me… I'm… I'm sorry!" The desperation and fear in his voice clawed at Sakura's heart. Those bastards… Those monsters had done this to him! Those vile creatures had turned her brave, fearless Syaoran into this shivering, trembling mess.

Pushing her own feelings aside, she lowered her mouth to his ear, hoping what she had in mind would work. "Shhh," she whispered in a comforting manner, feeling his burning body tremble in her arms, the heels of his feet digging into the sheets as he tried to push himself away from her.

Not letting this discourage her, she held on, beginning to gather her healer's aura. "It's alright, Syaoran. Tell me, where does it hurt?"

"Sakura… S-Sakura-hime…" he cried, sweat rolling down his skin as he continued struggling,

"Please… It… it burns."

"Shhh… Sshh… It's okay, Syaoran." she said softly, carefully moving her hand to gently cradle his head. Something wet slid down her cheeks as her throat constricted. "You're safe now."

"No…" he shook his head, sweat-drenched hair wetting her nightgown where his head partially rested against her stomach, his hands furiously pushing against the bed in his attempts to get away. "Please… make it stop… D-Don't make them hit me."

"No one is going to hurt you, Syaoran," she promised, holding back a sob as she crushed his body to hers. "I'll never hurt you." She continued in a soothing tone. Maybe that was what he needed to hear because miraculously enough, those words seemed to have the desired effect on him as he calmed down some. He was still struggling in her hold but now the motions seemed less… desperate. Encouraged by this, she let her finger run through his hair, just like she recalled her mother doing for her when she was little. "I… I love you." She murmured in his ear, letting the aura she had gathered so far roll off of her in waves. The effects were immediate as her words combined with the aura seemed to be just the thing that he needed as he ceased fighting her. But from the way he bit his lip and scrunched up his face, she could tell he was still stuck in his nightmare.

"It… It hurts… so much." he mumbled, biting his lip at the end as though trying to stop himself from screaming.

"It's not real, Syaoran," she assured him tenderly, her tips of her fingers continuing to massage his scalp. "It's not real. It's over now. You're safe. " She had no idea how long she kept at this, gently stroking his hair as she gently whispered to him, but a few hours before the first of the stars began to twinkle out of existence, Syaoran's mumbling stopped, his expression growing somewhat relaxed, though traces of fear and pain were still visible on his pale visage.

Sighing ever so softly, Sakura watched his profile in the silver moonlight pouring in through one of the windows. She ran the thumb of her hand in his hair over his forehead, tenderly smoothing out the wrinkles, forcing him to unfurrow his brows. She smiled sadly as she felt the tension leave his body. Wistfully, she ran a finger down his temple and along his cheek, then ghosted down to his jawline, her heart beating faster as she traced an invisible line back up his cheek, temple and forehead. Despite the way starvation and torture had made his cheeks sink in, with dark circles beneath his closed eyes, he still looked handsome with his thick unruly brown locks sticking to his forehead with sweat.

Due to his fever, in an effort to keep his body temperature down, they had decided not to dress him in a shirt but thanks to all his thrashing, the sweat-dampened bandages that had been wrapped around his torso and mutilated back had become loose, letting her glimpse at the product of countless hours of torture. Most of the slashes and cuts on his skin had healed already, but there were a few that despite her best efforts could not be healed by magic. The bandages covering these injuries flashed red, telling her he had managed to reopen those slowly healing wounds.

Letting her fingers trail along his jawline once more, she felt her tears beginning to fall, crystal droplets landing on his face, glistening like tiny diamonds in the pale moonlight as he shuddered lightly in her arms.

"Oh, Syaoran…" she sobbed quietly, holding him to her as he slept on, oblivious to the pain he seemed to be causing her.

-0-

Sakura walked into the room with a tray of fresh, steaming broth with boiled noodles. She still had to use the same tactic as the first time to get him to eat, but at least a bit of color was returning to his once sallow complexion. She allowed a small smile to flit across her face as the events of the previous night and early morning rose to the front of her mind. She had awoken a couple of hours ago to find Syaoran still asleep in her arms and she had felt a warm feeling flutter deep within her chest as she noticed how relaxed his body was. She had not wanted to move at all, but she knew she had to get him some breakfast and maybe after that he would allow her to treat his wounds without freaking out or completely shutting the world out.

She hated it when he did that. But she was helpless to do anything about it. It pained her to know that Syaoran still did not trust her or Kurogane, and it always seemed to kill something inside her when he would recede so far into his mind that he would become numb to everything that went on around him while she or his mentor were in the same room as him. Last night had been the only time he had spoken to her, even if it had been in a nightmare.

Normally Syaoran, unlike before the extraction of Syaoran-san's soul from his body, refused to do anything at all when they got near him. He'd never speak, never try to get away, which for some reason was the cause of no joy for Sakura. Seeing her beloved so completely broken to the extent that the brunette did not even fight back to protect himself was so… unlike the boy she had known.

She had no idea what might have caused this sudden change, but could it have been a result of the trauma he experienced in the extraction? Or was this what he had truly become? It was entirely possible that the person that had fought Kurogane had been Syaoran-san, momentarily taking over his son's body to protect him when the boy himself could no longer do so. She had certainly been able to feel his presence in those brief moments Syaoran had fought against them. It puzzled her a lot but Sakura had chosen not to dwell on it for too long. Sakura-san's soul that resided within her body was dormant, lost in a deep slumber and there were times when she could not even tell that the other princess was there. But ever since Kurogane had arrived with Syaoran all those days ago, she had been constantly able to feel Syaoran's father's presence within him, stronger than ever, much more aware and active than Sakura-san ever had been within her. Maybe the world Syaoran previously had been in had something to do with that?

"Sakura!" The loud, joyful cry made her stumble. The jade-eyed princess almost dropped the tray in her hands as she turned around to face the one that had called her name.

"Moko-chan!" the white bejeweled creature hopped down from its perch atop Kurogane's shoulder and bounded up to her. "You're awake!"

"Mokona is so happy to see Sakura." It grinned, jumping to land on her shoulder.

_**A/N: Mokona is back! Leave a review and tell me what you think might happen next, if you feel like it. Comments and criticism will be appreciated as well. That's it for this time. **_

_**Later!**_


	18. Bedraggled II

_**A/N: Alrighty people! An update for you all. But I'm just gonna put a quick note here. Its summer time and people are generally enjoying their summer vacations at this time of the year but I'm taking a couple of summer courses that are being offered at my university this year. And one of them is a programming course that demands a lot of my time. Plus I've decided to start on a few other extra-curricular activities, helping out with organizing a few events here and there so I really can't find any time to write these days. Which is why the next update might take a while. Same goes for all my other ongoing fics. **_

_**Anywho… Enjoy!**_

Syaoran watched apathetically as the mage thrashed on the floor beneath him, his body wracked with seizures as he slipped in and out of consciousness. Noticing that the other seemed to be having a heart attack from his ministrations, Syaoran retracted his hand, watching in grim satisfaction as the blond gasped for air.

_I'll make it a lot worse for you, _Fai-san_, _he spat the name like poison_ if you don't send me back to my son._

The blonde's only response was a wheeze as he shuddered.

Suddenly the door to the cell burst open and a woman that appeared somewhat familiar to Syaoran strode in looking extremely pissed off.

"Damn it! I thought I told you idiots not to overdose him." She growled at the man that had entered behind her, as her narrowed, flint colored eyes took in the sight of the magician. Waving some sort of metallic device over him she cursed, "His vitals are dropping." Throwing the device she had used to observe his condition, to the man beside her, she dug through her clothes, retracting a pair of thin black gloves that consisted of a mesh of glowing wires. Putting them on, she crouched down next to him. "Keep track of his condition." She barked at the man as the she placed over the blonde's bare chest. Thin, almost invisible wires protruded from the gloves, sinking into Fai's bruised flesh, a pale blue glow moving from the spots where they touched his flesh to the wires in the gloves. The gloves hummed softly before beginning to glow a pale green shade. Strangely enough, it reminded Syaoran of the aura Sakura had used to heal Tsubasa when he was being tortured.

Dismissing the thought, he watched on, curiosity getting the best of him. What was this woman doing?

"What's his state?" she asked distractedly as her hands moved lower, towards Fai's stomach. Syaoran gasped in surprise as he saw pale, unblemished skin where only a short while ago, there had been a sick collage of motley green and dark purple.

"He's stabilizing." The man answered as he consulted the device in his hands. "I still don't understand why you're so insistent on keeping this one alive, though."

"Of course not." She responded in a condescending manner, refusing to elaborate any further.

"Well?" the man demanded.

"Well what?" she responded lightly though Syaoran could tell she knew perfectly well what the man was taking about.

"Why are you so interested in Blondie here?"

"Have you ever paid attention to the names he speaks?"

"…"

"I thought not," she chuckled, moving her hands away from his torso. Syaoran watched in fascination as the wires retracted from the unmarred skin, once more attaching to the blonde's flesh when she placed her hands above his swollen ankle.

"Masooma." She said after a while, "does that name sound familiar to you?"

"Isn't that the name of that virgin?" the man leered, "The one that Bauld had his way with?"

"Men." The woman snorted in half disgust, half amusement, "that's all your heads can remember, isn't it? Recall anything else?"

"… Oh, I remember now. She's also the chick he almost cut up afterwards, isn't she? So she couldn't breed more magical spawn."

"Idiot, she's also one of the current guardians of the essence." She spat, shaking her head, "This _Blondie_ knows two of them."

"The other one being?" he asked, scratching his head thoughtfully.

"The Magi's fabled Oracle."

"I thought the story about that blind guardian was just a myth."

"It's not," she shook her head with a laugh, "That little wolf kid, the one that we had before this one, Bauld confirmed about those two guardians from him before he broke."

"I see. So if we break Blondie here," the man said, roughly kicking the unconscious mage in the ribs to turn him over, "we break their strongest line of defense."

"Can't you keep your feet to yourself for a while?" the woman glowered, removing her hand from Fai's ankle to press over his chest. She felt around for any broken or misplaced ribs, climbing to her feet when she found none. "But yes. That is the basic idea." She added dryly, moving towards the door to the cell, "too bad you gits let them break that kid out of here. He was fun to mess with. Not that he would have survived for long with the state you idiots had left him in."

Syaoran could only stand there, frozen in horror as he heard their voices recede, that woman's words ringing in his ears as his eyes remained glued to the motionless form on the grimy floor.

-0-

_It was night, the city that had previously been bustling with life, now silent, the occasional guard rounding the corners in the streets below as Fai quietly made his way to the top of the pyramid shaped building. After assuring his companions that he was fine, Fai had made his way to the room assigned to him to sleep in. Once sure of the fact that his companions and best friend had all left, Fai decided to use a bit of magic to trace the one person he wanted to talk to. As silent as a wraith, he had made his way out the tiny window and up to the roof. Sure he needed to call on his magic every now and then to make the climb easier for him, but he knew no one would dare disturb him for a while. Being the close friend of a revered living legend had its advantages after all._

"_I should have known you'd follow me up here." she said softly, her back facing him as she gazed out at the crisscrossing streets stretched out below them as far as the eye could see._

"_You should know by know that I'd follow you anywhere." He answered, settling down beside her, letting his legs dangle off the roof. A strong updraft played with his hair, whipping them about his face as he peered over the edge. "You always did prefer high places whenever you were in a mood to brood." He said in a casual tone, expecting her usual indignant cry of '_I do not brood!' _but was disappointed when the girl beside him remained silent. _

"_He told you about it." She said instead after a while, not posing it as a question but as a detached statement._

"…" _Fai said nothing at all in response to that. Her next words made it unnecessary. _

"_That's why you came up here, didn't you?" she said, her tone not betraying anything. "To come see what a wonderful failure I have turned out to be."_

"_Masooma-"_

"_Had I really earned my title?" she continued, apparently not having heard her, "If I had… I should have been able to hold them off, right?" She laughed harshly, drawing her knees to her chest as she rested her chin atop them. "I was supposed to fight them till he came and we left this world. Instead… I let them capture me and drag me into that hellhole." Silence reigned between them for a short while as she stared blankly in the distance. "I'm nothing but a _weakling_."_

"_I don't believe that." He shook his head, "You're the only one who ever passed my _unpassable_ test. No weakling could have done that." Fai nudged her shoulder lightly, before grinning widely "and for that, you're my favorite apprentice."_

"_More like your only apprentice." She snorted in return, attempting to make it sound like her usual retorts but failed miserably when her voice cracked at the end._

"_Exactly!" Fai exclaimed, pretending not to have noticed the small break in her composure._

"_Yeah," from her tone, it sounded like she had given up trying to sound normal. Her mails dug into the material of the pants she wore as she continued on in a rather spiteful tone, "but some great apprentice I turned out to be…" Fai's grin slid off his face. "I couldn't even protect myself. They were right. I'm a complete waste of useful space."_

"_Remember that anti-Mage group back in Celes? Can you recall the state some of the rescued victims were in at that time?" Fai said softly, turning his head to stare at her silent profile, "Nixon had taken one look at them and he had been unable to keep his food down for three whole days. Even the healers did not have the guts to go near them. And I recall a certain clumsy_

_witch who took charge and helped them all out when no one could even work up the courage to be near them."_

"…"

"You_ did that." He spoke when she refused to utter a single word, "You're the furthest thing from useless imaginable, Masooma."_

"_You're wrong." She finally bit out, hugging her legs closer to her body, "If it wasn't for me, Nixon wouldn't be stuck in the position he is today. If he hadn't come to save me when he had, they would have-" she clamped up, clenching her eyes to spare herself from having to look at anything._

"_They would have?" Fai repeated, coaxing her gently. He had a vague suspicion ever since he heard Nixon mention seeing visions of her violated body but he couldn't be sure. Those bastards couldn't have done that to her. Not to her. Not to…_

"_There was this hunter, Bauld, he… he used to come to the cell they were holding me in and he…" she lowered her head so it was pressing against her knees as she rocked slightly. "I-I tried to fight him off every time b-but… It was so _horrible_…" she gave a half hearted laugh, "The funny thing is… the rape wasn't even the worst part." Fai's breath hitched in his throat. Her voice had come out muffled but Fai had caught the words she spoke. He had to force himself to listen on though. It was evidently taking a lot from her to say those words and if he interrupted her now, she might not talk about it again. "They wanted to snuff out magic from this world. And they were willing to do whatever it took to succeed. Even if it meant, cutting out…" she broke down after that, her whole frame shaking as heartbroken sobs spilled from her lips. Having gotten a fair idea of what those hunters had had in mind Fai decided he did not need to hear anymore as he wrapped his arms around her body._

"_Sshh.. Sshh.. It's okay," Fai whispered softly, hugging her close to him as one of his hands caressed the top of her head. "It's okay. You're safe now."_

"_They almost did it Fai," she cried, turning around to bury her face in his shirt, hot tears seeping through his clothes to burn against his chilled skin. At this height the wind bit at his exposed face with a vengeance but Fai didn't even feel it. All he could feel at the time was the shuddering, trembling form of the girl in his arms as she clung to him like he was her last lifeline. "I was _so_ scared… if Nixon hadn't gotten there when he had…" _

_Gently kissing the top of her head, Fai crushed her to him, his jaw hardening in fury. They had reduced her to this. That smart, cheerful girl that he had known in Celes, the girl who had never cried, not even after she had treated those patients, because she liked to think she was strong, now she was weeping like a newborn child in his arms. Would Kurogane and Syaoran mind if they stayed here for a while? He definitely had a score to settle with those hunters._

"_Don't worry, Masooma." He promised, pressing his lips against her hair once more, "everything will be alright."_

The night was cold, merciless, the wind biting into her exposed skin as she sat, perched atop her favorite haunt. She had left her hair down tonight, the long, raven tresses whipping about her body, casting a dark halo around her. In the soft glow of the orb that hung near the roof of the cave, a hundred feet above her head, it made her appear like an angel of darkness, a vengeful creature with skin so pale, it appeared almost ghostlike.

A lone tear traced a well travelled path down her cheek, falling to the endless abyss down below, as she gazed at the vast expanse of the streets crisscrossing out as far as the eye could see, one leg dangling over the edge and the other folded close to her chest, supporting her arm as she rested her chin on it.

"Everything will be alright you said." Her whispered words were lost to the wind. "I'll hold you to that promise."

_**A/N: Not much torture here but I did try to shed some light on a few important things. Plus we had Cloney's POV too… Leave a review if you guys feel like it, k? **_


	19. Burnout

_**A/N: Wow, this makes it a triple update today. I want to thank you all for reviewing last chapter. I'm really sorry if I didn't reply to your reviews but I have two reasons for that. A) I have been quite busy. B) whenever I was free I was too lazy to log in. So yeah… but thank you all very much. Your feedback and comments are what makes you guys awesome readers. ^_^**_

_**So here's a treat for you all. **_

_**Enjoy!**_

Fai whimpered, curling in on himself as he slowly drifted back to the land of the living. There were voices all around him again, bright lights flashing past his eyelids, the word spinning and turning and twisting all around him. He could feel millions upon millions of tiny, multi-legged arachnids creeping beneath his skin, biting and chewing and gnawing at his flesh with their sharp, pointy teeth, their little, scrabbly paw-like feet crawling and pinching and tearing him apart, bit by tiny bit.

"Stop…" he moaned weakly, his lifeless fingers struggling, moving to pull them away from him. "Please, just stop…" His hands twitched as the urge to wipe the bugs off of him grew stronger.

_Crich, crich, crich_ they went, with their never-ending teeth boring holes through his flesh.

"Leave me alone…" he begged with a pitiful whimper. He couldn't hold on anymore.

He just wanted it all to end.

This was too much.

Too much…

-0-

Syaoran saw the blonde curled up on the floor, mumbling incoherently as his whole body shook violently. Whatever it was that they had given the blond four days ago, it appeared that he needed it in constant doses. He could easily spot the symptoms of withdrawal setting in. But oddly enough, unlike a few days ago, seeing him in pain like this did not make him feel any better. In fact, it only made him feel worse.

Helpless.

Useless.

-0-

"No more…" They were everywhere.

All around him.

All over him.

Inside him.

Eating him.

Dissolving him.

Tearing him apart.

"Please…" he sobbed, his slightly clawed fingers clutching at his own flesh, fresh blood oozing from his raw wounds, painting the ground below him a gritty crimson. "No more…"

-0-

Syaoran didn't know what to do as he watched the delusional magician cry out to phantoms he alone could see.

He was still confused by what he had heard that woman say that day, though it had managed to shake his belief of what he had believed to be the truth. Her words had shed light on some of the questionable events that had occurred to Tsubasa during his time in captivity. While he could recall with profound clarity all the things his son had been through at the hands of his travelling companions, Syaoran could not recall the events that had led to the beginning of his torture in the first place. What was it that _they_ had been searching for that they believed Tsubasa held the knowledge of? And what reasons did Tsubasa have anyways to withhold such information from those that he considered precious to him? And… despite the fact that this development had pleased him greatly in the beginning, why had Sakura and Kurogane left one of their own in a place like this to rot after the great pleasure those three had derived from Tsubasa's pain?

A loud screech brought him out of his thoughts as the door to the cell swung open and high heeled boots clacked loudly against the cold stone floors as the silver-haired woman strutted up to Fai.

"Hello, Fai," she cooed softly as she crouched down next to the rocking blonde. She slipped a hand into her jacket and retrieved a needle containing some sort of murky, gray colored liquid. Dull, blue eyes looked up at her as she slipped the needle into his skin and injected the drug. As soon as the empty syringe was back inside her clothes, Syaoran saw a look of recognition flitter across the blonde's face as his lips parted and he murmured something breathlessly, hope dancing across his pale, bloodied features as his body stilled. The woman smiled at him, gently cradling his face in her hands. A hesitant, almost cautious smile appeared on Fai's lips as he held her gaze. Again he mouthed the same words as before and it was with a jolt that Syaoran recognized it to be a name. But why was he calling this woman by that name? "Think you can remember it for me now?" the woman said and Syaoran was hit with a sense of déjà vu. This scene reminded him of the way Sakura had held Tsubasa before she had-

Fai crumbled on his side with a startled cry, whimpering almost inaudibly as the woman ran her fingers through his tangled, messy hair that had begun to turn a peculiar shade of dark grayish brown. He could see the angry red imprint of a palm on Fai's cheeks. She must have hit him.

"You know, Fai," she began in a conversational manner as she played with his hair, "I had really hoped you'd be able to tell us something this time." Her hand trailed down his face to his neck, "After all, this doesn't have to be this way." Her hand trailed lower and Fai squeezed his eyes shut. "All this pain…"

"_Why are you forcing yourself to go through it?" Her voice was soft as her hand traced a line up and down his bare torso, "All this pain…" her soft, frozen fingers burnt fiery trails along his arms as she caught hold of his hand. "You could easily end it all and…" she looked at him with that beautiful smile of hers as her fingers gently wrapped around two of his. "Everything would be alright. Ne, Syaoran?"_

"Aaauurrgh!" Fai screamed in pain and Syaoran stumbled back. This was just like how Sakura had behaved with Tsubasa. And the words this woman spoke, and the name Fai had been calling her… Could it be that the drug had been…

_N-No…_ he shook his head, eyes wide as he stared at the scene playing out before him_, it's not possible. I know what I saw. It was real. _

But none of this made any sense.

"Come on," the woman purred lightly, and Sakura's voice echoed similar words in his memory. Fai was trying to retrieve his hand from her but the woman held fast, her fingers moving to grab the magician's thumb, "You're needlessly making this hard on yourself." Syaoran heard a sickening crack as the blue eyed man cried out once more, "Just tell me where it is…"

"_Tell me where it is hidden," Her cold green eyes bore into his, "and I'll tell Fai-san and Kurogane-san to leave you alone."_

"Please…" Fai gasped, tears of pain freely flowing down his dirty cheeks as he tried to cradle his broken fingers and push away from her at the same time, "I don't- Aaargh!"

"Wrong answer." The woman glared at him coldly. Even as a spirit, Syaoran found himself wanting to give into the nauseous feeling creeping up his throat and throw up as he heard the wizard's scream right after another crack. "You _will_ tell me."

Shaking his head, Syaoran slid to the floor, his hands clutching at his hair in frustration as his mind started up linking all the things that had happened and those that he had observed with what he had thought he had known. And as he struggled to fight his inner turmoil, trying to ignore the way the magician screamed in agony every now and then, unbidden, a memory of lifetimes past rose to the surface.

_Syaoran sighed, pushing his unruly bangs out of his eyes as he made his way out of the cave. Helping out at the excavation site was fun, but it was tiresome work. Knowing that he was alone, the brunette raised an arm and sniffed himself a bit. Great, not only did he smell of dirt, he also smelled of sweat. A cool shower would be nice right about now. A smile lit up his face for a fraction of a second at the thought as he stepped out into the sun, before something fast and pink collided into his chest, making him fall to the ground in surprise._

"_Syao-ran!" He heard a sweet voice chirp happily before he found a pair of arms wrapping around his neck._

"_S-Sakura-Hime?" he gasped in surprise, fighting a blush that threatened to bloom across his face as her sweet scent of fresh apples and cherry blossoms reached his nose. "H-Hime!" He cried out, realizing the position they both were in and his current physical state, "Please d-don't. I'm covered in dirt."_

"_What?" She said with a playful smirk. "I'm not listening because my name isn't 'Sakura-Hime'."_

_She had been drilling him on and on about calling her just by her name and not the title she carried. Guess he had forgotten… again. "Right." He sighed softly._

"_I haven't seen you in a while," she murmured the words into his clothes as her arms tightened their hold around him, "I've missed you…"_

_Hearing her confession made him want to smile. "I've missed you, too." He said as he hugged her back._

_A few moments passed by before Sakura seemed to realize their position and scrambled to get off of him while apologizing, only to fall back, pulling him onto her when she failed to notice his arms wrapped around her waist._

"_S-So why are you here, Hime?" He asked once the two had managed to climb back on their feet, but Sakura merely raised her chin with an annoyed huff and refused to look at him._

"_I don't know who you're talking to," she pouted cutely and Syaoran immediately realized his mistake._

"_Sorry," he gave her a sheepish grin, "What brings you here, Sakura?"_

_The sight changed and he found himself being tugged to the outskirts of town, moving across the sandy desert till they ended up atop a small hill made out of rocks. A lone tree stood atop the pile of rocks, blocking out the glaring sun as they settled down beneath it to take in the beautiful sight of the vast desert and Clow Country itself._

"_Syaoran, you look tired." Sakura said softly, biting her lip once the two had settled down beneath the shade of the tree. "Have you been eating properly and getting enough sleep?"_

"_Yes." He nodded with a grin, feeling elated that she worried about him so, "Thank you for worrying about me."_

"_Neh, Syaoran?" she spoke, using the same quiet tone that she had used to ask him about his sleeping schedule._

"_What is it, Sakura?" He made sure he got it right this time. It wouldn't do to have her not talking to him again._

_She looked over at him once, before looking away again, her delicate fingers curling around the hem of her skirt as she asked in a slightly hesitant manner, "If… If I asked you to do something, would you?"_

"_Faster than your heart could beat once," he promised without missing a beat. In his heart he knew it was true. He'd do anything for her without a thought. "Just say the word."_

"_Then…" she said, encouraged by his response, "Could you please… get some rest now?"_

_Syaoran could only blink in confusion at her odd request before it clicked in place and he gave her a rather hesitant nod. "A… Alright then." He leaned back on_ _his elbows, preparing to lie down when her soft whisper of 'Twelve' made him sit back up. _

"_Eh? Twelve what?" he questioned, looking over at her._

_Sakura's eyes flickered down to the hand that she had placed on her chest and he followed her line of sight. "It's already beaten twelve times. Well… now it's actually twenty, and you said you'd do it in one." She teased him lightly, with a gentle smile playing about her lips, and he couldn't help but give her one in return._

"_My deepest apologies." He apologized in a rather formal, yet playful manner, as he lowered his head._

"_You're forgiven," the princess raised her nose in the air in an equally playful yet haughty manner. "Now get some sleep."_

"_Right away, Hime."_

"_You're hopeless." She heaved a sigh at hearing him revert back to the formal address._

"_Sorry." He apologized sheepishly as he started lying back down, until she stopped him, insisting that he sleep while resting his head in her lap instead. After letting his tongue run off in another act of stupidity, Syaoran had struggled to explain the situation to her about how inappropriate that act would be, but in the end the sight of her wide, innocent-looking eyes carrying that expression of hurt at his refusal had made him yield to her request, finding himself rewarded by another one of her beautiful smiles as he lay down to rest._

_With her hand brushing through his hair, Syaoran had finally succumbed to sleep, a pleasant, restful sleep that he hadn't been able to catch in ages._

_It only felt like a few seconds later, but judging from the position of the sun he could safely assume a few hours had passed when he was awoken by her urgent whispering. His mind still groggy from sleep caused him to react instinctively as soon as his gaze focused on her frightened features. He shot upright as though struck by lightning, his senses on high alert. "Hime! What's-" but never got to finish his question as he was shoved away by her, and a second later Sakura cried out in pain. _

_The black snake slithered out of view just as Sakura doubled over, clutching her wrist in agony as screams spilled from her lips. Syaoran could do nothing but watch her helplessly as she writhed on the ground, with her crimson blood spilling in the dust as the venom started spreading through her body. Shocked and screaming at himself for letting this happen to her, Syaoran gathered the dying princess in his arms, clutching her to him as her heart thundered beneath her ribcage. Helplessly calling out her name, he could only watch as all life seemed to leave her body and she grew still._

_Finding the peaceful expression on her face, he clutched her body close to him, helpless tears spilling from his eyes as he pressed his head against her chest, afraid of what he would hear, or rather not hear. But to his immense surprise and joy, he found her pulse beating slowly but strongly beneath her chest. Breaking out of his reverie, Syaoran tied a makeshift bandage around her bleeding wound and rushed her back to the castle, knowing that despite this sudden stroke of good luck, Sakura still needed proper treatment._

_Hours later, after an explanation about the cruel yet harmless snake that had bitten the princess and the effects that its venom had on its victims, Syaoran was left alone with the unconscious princess. Trying to reassure himself that she was still there with him, Syaoran hugged her gently, resting his head on her chest once more to listen to her heartbeat. She felt warm and alive, breathing ever so softly in his arms. It felt like an eternity had passed before she started to stir. He pulled back to look at her face, not wanting to miss the moment when she opened her eyes._

_"Sy…Syaora…n?" Her voice sounded tired and weak, but the smile that she gave him was as beautiful and energetic as ever. _

_"Sakura…" he couldn't help but sigh in relief as he enveloped her in another hug, feeling his heart skip a beat when her small arms repeated the motion. _

_"I was so…scared…" she admitted, her breath tickling the skin of his neck._

_"I was terrified." He murmured in response, burying his face into her hair as he recalled the fear he had felt at the thought of losing her. "I thought you'd never open your beautiful eyes ever again."_

_"Mm-mm." She hmmed, shaking her head from side to side. "I was scared that you were going to get hurt." She clarified. "And then…and then I was scared…I wouldn't get to see you anymore…" Several sobs interrupted her and shook her small body until she finally burst into tears. "Syaoran…" she wept, clinging desperately to him with no intentions of ever letting him go. It was as if she held the same fear in her heart, the fear of him disappearing the minute she let go. "Syaoran…oh, Syaoran…" She remained in that position for a long time, crying her heart out and all he could do in return was hold her, murmuring her name in reassurance to her over and over again. _

_She felt so fragile in his arms, like a china doll. The smallest bit of pressure would break her apart, but he did so anyway, knowing that it was the only way he could ever reassure her of his presence._

_"Sakura. I'm here. I'm here…It's okay…" _

_It was already sunset by the time Sakura let go of him, sniffling softly as she did so. Reluctantly, Syaoran mimicked her actions, sitting back up in his chair. Her eyes were puffy from all the crying and a stray tear still clung to her cheek. Unable to resist, Syaoran brushed her cheek with his fingers. "Why did you do that?" He asked softly, his fingers trailing through her hair._

"_Well…" Her voice wavered a little so she started again, "Well, it's because you're always the one to get hurt." She gave him a tiny smile, "You always have to look after me and protect me. So…I have to protect you too, neh?" _

_As much as Syaoran wanted to crush her to him and tell her to never, ever think about doing something like that, he now knew how she always felt when he got hurt. Besides, she'd already suffered enough on his behalf. He did not want to add to her misery by telling her not to do something like that again. "Thank you." was all he could manage in the end._

_"I'll be protecting you, too, from now on." She promised softly._

"Did you believe her?" the quiet words, spoken from somewhere behind him, had Syaoran whirling around, his body tense in anticipation of an attack as the memory faded away only to be replaced by a blank, inky nothingness. The pale pink petals of cherry blossoms drifted all around him, gently caressing his face and arms as they floated by. Shaking his head once to displace the illusion of the dream world, Syaoran looked around once more, only to find himself still standing in the midst of trailing sakura petals.

"This is not an illusion, Syaoran." The man standing before him was around the same age as Fai, with a slightly darker skin tone and messy black hair. His grey eyes were unfocused and staring right through him, but Syaoran could tell that somehow the man knew where the other was standing.

"How do you know my name?" Syaoran growled, shifting his stance ever so slightly in an attempt to counter any attack this strange, apparently blind man might launch at him.

"I know a lot more about you than just your name." The man grinned nonchalantly in response. From his posture, he seemed quite at ease, but Syaoran had seen Fai's equally relaxed posture during confrontations when they had been searching for Sakura's feathers. This man's apparent ease only set the alarm bells ringing in Syaoran's head.

"Relax," the man raised his hands in a peaceful gesture as he took a step towards him. Syaoran narrowed his eyes, his muscles coiling up even further in anticipation of a hidden attack. There was something about this man, something he couldn't exactly put his hand on, but it set him on edge. "I come in peace."

"Who are you?" His warning growl stopped the man in his tracks.

"You don't recognize me?" the man seemed almost surprised for a second before grinning widely once again, a cheerful, happy-go-lucky sort of grin that reminded him of Fai instantaneously. "Of course, how silly of me." He laughed, shaking his head. "You had not been able to see through Tsubasa's eyes until much later."

"Who are you?" Syaoran ground out once more. Who the heck was this guy? How did he know so much about him and his son?

"My name is Nixon Blaze," he responded, keeping the smile fixed on his face. "I'm…"

"The Oracle!" Syaoran blurted out automatically, cutting off the older man mid-sentence.

The Oracle blinked a couple of time before shaking his head in melancholic way. "Why is it that people always cut me off mid-introduction?"

"What?" Syaoran gaped at the older man, before realizing what he had done. "Sorry." He flushed, realizing belatedly that he had indeed cut off the other man when he was speaking.

"It's alright." The man laughed, "It's kind of funny actually. You wouldn't believe the number of times I have gotten that response from people when I introduce myself. Anyhow, I wasn't going to bring my title into our conversation, you know."

"You weren't?"

"Nope," The Oracle's grin was back in place, "Never really cared much for it. I was going to tell you that I'm a friend of Fai's."

"Oh." Syaoran felt another petal gently caress his cheek, reminding him that he had somehow arrived in the dream world. "Why am I here? What the heck is going on? Where in the-"

"Relax, Syaoran, one question at a time, okay?" Nixon cut him off. "You're here because I needed to talk to you. You've already guessed half of what is going on. The rest, I'm going to help you understand, okay? But before we head of in that direction, I need you to answer my question."

"What?" Syaoran asked after a while, having waited long enough for a question that didn't come.

"Did you believe her?" Nixon asked, his face serious all of a sudden. "Princess Sakura, when she made that promise to you. Did you believe her then?"

"I don't see how my having believed her then would change anything now."

"You'd be surprised by the change a little bit of belief can bring sometimes." He answered cryptically, reminding Syaoran quite a lot of the now-dead witch of the dimensions.

Syaoran stared at Nixon long and hard, unable to stop himself from remembering all the feelings that had rushed through him when he had heard Sakura promise that to him. Nixon, in turn, merely stood there, a patient smile settled on his features as he waited for the spirit to come to a decision.

"I… I did." The former clone admitted after a while.

"What made you stop believing in her, then?" Nixon asked.

"What made me…" he repeated incredulously before exploding angrily, "Are you crazy or something? If you really are that all-knowing Oracle, then you already know what she did! You'd know what they… and you still have the nerve to ask me? After everything they put my son through, you still have the nerve to ask me what made me stop believing her?" He had no idea when he had crossed the distance between them, but Syaoran found himself screaming in the blind man's face, his amber eyes glaring holes through the murky grey, sightless ones of the other man. "You're the all-knowing one, right? You tell me! What do you think could have possibly happened to make me not believe in her?" Breathing heavily, he took a step away from Nixon.

"Are you done screaming now?" the older man asked serenely.

"You bastard!" Syaoran growled, swinging a punch at the blind Oracle only to find his fist captured by the other man. Instead of trying to free his hand, Syaoran attacked with his other, only to be stopped in the same manner. Without even pausing for a heartbeat, Syaoran swung his leg at the other but to his great annoyance, the blind man dodged it with ease. "Stay still!" he growled angrily, twisting in the Oracle's hold to bring his leg in a back hook but the Oracle nimbly slipped out of the attack's range while somehow still managing to keep his hold on Syaoran's wrists.

"Did you ever stop to think for a second that maybe…" he ducked his head to avoid Syaoran's vicious kick, "you were seeing only what they wanted you to see?"

"Wha-" The strange words had him stumbling despite himself. What they wanted him to see. What in the world could that- the image of Fai hopefully looking at the silver haired woman, calling her a name that he knew belonged to someone else flashed in his mind's eye. He heard Fai's pained cries echo all around him, begging him to make it all stop, make it go away.

"See the connection now?" Nixon asked softly, letting go of his hands as he stepped away from Syaoran.

_**A/N: Okay so just so you guys know, the memory that Syaoran saw in this chapter is not my own work. I used parts from **_momoxtoshiro's _**story 'Protecting you' with their permission. It's a really cute story so I recommend you guys to read it. I read it a while back I simply couldn't resist using it so I asked them and they said they were okay with it as long as I gave them credit for their work, which I have so here's a link:**_

.net/s/6298687/1/bProtecting_b_bYou_b

_**I have no idea whether it will show or not though since can act pretty weird at times. Anyhow, I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter. This has got to be the longest chapter in this story so far, by the way. ;) ;)**_

_**I'd love to hear your feedback on what Syaoran should/would do now. Oh and umm… I need a name for the silver haired woman that was torturing Fai in this chapter. It's kinda funny. I've been using her for almost nineteen chapters now and I still don't have a name for her. Any suggestions?**_

_**IMPORTANT NOTICE:**_

_**I will soon be changing my penname to 'Obsidian Butterfly'.**_


	20. Bound Terminus ad Quem

_**A/N: A lot of things happened to me recently which included good as well as bad things. The bad things kind of made me have a writer's block since I was quite depressed but I managed to somewhat get through that thanks to an awesome friend of mine (you know who you are. ;) ) and I managed to somehow get my lazy butt to actually write this chapter.**_

_**I'm putting this up today despite the fact that weekend is almost over because I just got a new laptop! Yeah. I'm pretty excited about that though, I'm gonna have to get used to the keyboards layout. *sighs* But anyhow, before I start rambling about the pros and cons of changing laptops and whatnot, I'll shut up and let you guys go ahead and read. **_

_**I'm seriously hoping this chapter will leave you guys hanging on the worse cliffie **_**ever**_**! (Insert evil cackles here)**_

_**Now without any further ado, go ahead and enjoy. ;)**_

Syaoran was confused. No, it wasn't enough to say he was confused. Syaoran was _beyond_ confused. He was baffled. Confounded. Bamboozled.

No. Not really. That was just blowing things a _bit_ out of proportions.

He was just confused.

After that talk with the Oracle, he had somehow _not_ ended up back in the dungeon with Fai.

No.

He had ended up in a never-ending corridor with so many twists and turns, it would make one of those roller-coasters he had seen in Edonis seem like a little toy train. The corridor seemed to be made out of ice. Transparent, crystal-clear ice, though he could see cracks appearing in the frozen water, the fractures worsening in intensity the farther he walked. It was strange, though. Intricate looking doors, made out of dark wood, were inserted into the ice on his left and right all along the corridor at periodic intervals. Some were shiny and brand-new looking, while others were old and worn out, not from years of use, mind you. Their state seemed to scream neglect, as though they had been left to bear the wrath of the elements for far too long. But…in a place as strange as this, how was that even possible?

Cautiously making his way down the corridors, Syaoran took great care not to touch any doors. He _had_ been warned against opening them by the one that had sent him here, after all. It apparently had something to do with the 'invasion of privacy'. The better looking doors, which for some insane reason Syaoran felt the urge to call 'happy doors', were getting fewer in number the longer he walked, until the time came that there were no more happy doors left. Syaoran couldn't help but shudder at the feeling of utter despair that seemed to leak out of some of the doors. He hurried his footsteps. The faster he found who he was looking for, the faster he could get out of this place.

_Before I die…_ a child's voice echoed all around him. Syaoran's feet froze outside one of the doors. As though in a trance, he found himself turning around to face it, his hand reaching out to touch its worn surface. It felt cold, frozen- like the cracked, icy walls all around him-beneath his fingers. Hesitating for a fraction of a second, Syaoran pushed against it, the door swinging inward with a low, ominous creak. For a fraction of a second, nothing happened before flurries of snow and hail rushed out the door, twisting and spinning around the spirit's form, pulling him inside before he even had the time to register door swung shut with a resounding bang, leaving nothing but silence in its wake. A soft, whispered sob traveled down the twisting corridor before it, too, was smothered out by the silence.

-0-

Having fed Syaoran and tucked him into bed, Sakura gently closed his eyes, setting Mokona down by his side.

"Can you stay with him, Moko-chan?" she asked the dimension hopper softly as she brushed Syaoran's unruly hair from his face. They had grown rather long during his time away, the bangs that normally swept his brow now almost reaching past the tip of his nose. He'd need a haircut soon. But that wouldn't be possible until he stopped freaking out whenever someone approached him. It was true he didn't struggle as much when that someone was Sakura, but he still refused to speak to her. He refused to speak at all.

"You can count on Mokona!" The little rabbit saluted enthusiastically before hopping over to Syaoran. The magical creature nuzzled his face, "Mokona will use one of Mokona's super-secret 108 techniques and make sure Syaoran has a good night's sleep."

"Thank you." She smiled before picking up the empty tray of food and heading towards the door. "I'll come back once I have finished talking with Kurogane-san, alright? We might need you to contact Watanuki-kun after that."

"Okay!"

Gently closing the door behind her, Sakura heard Mokona say something to Syaoran but she never heard him reply. Sighing softly, she proceeded to make her way down the familiar corridors to the kitchen to put away the tray. A servant approached her when she started washing the used utensil, but she waved him away with a small shake of her head. She had always been an odd one in this regard. Sakura enjoyed washing dishes sometimes when she was feeling depressed. The sound of running water, the feel of the soapy liquid on her hands, the whole process of washing things… it soothed her somehow.

"Kurogane-san, we need to get Fai-san out of that place."She said the minute she was seated next to him on the roof.

"I know."

"Mokona is awake now," she said softly, resting her chin atop her folded legs as she observed the desert bathed in the silvery moonlight."But I don't think Mokona will be able to take us there on its own. At least, not on the first try."

"We can make a deal with that Watanuki kid." Kurogane offered out of the blue.

"I was thinking the same but… what about Syaoran?"

"We'll just take him along."

"But… Kurogane-san," she bit her lip, wondering how to bring the subject of the teen's mental state up with his mentor. Surely the older male had to realize that it might not be such a wise idea to move him around like that. Especially to a world that was as unstable and turbulent as the ninja had described the one that currently had Fai.

"We can't just leave him here." He said simply, "I know you don't want to leave him behind and I doubt you'd stay behind yourself while I go to try and save the mage's ass."

The princess of the desert said nothing in return, for he had accurately voiced the thoughts that had been troubling her for the past few days.

"Everything will be alright." He spoke up, making the girl look back at him, "that's what you said your otherself told you once, right?"

"We'll just have to believe in that." She nodded in understanding, a soft smile gracing her lips at the thought of her alternate self, the one that had actually met with Tsubasa's mother in a dream. Since the clone was a part of her, it was almost like she herself had met that Sakura.

-0-

Syaoran yelled in surprise as he was thrown back out into the corridor. The door shut on itself, vanishing to become a part of the cracked ice now that he had seen what lay on the other side. Gingerly picking himself up off of the frozen ground, Syaoran began trekking down the corridor, taking extra-special care not to let any of the whispered words or voices distract him. This place he was in… he wasn't here to mess around. The cracks and the twists and turns already spoke volumes of the amounts of damage this place had endured. Him poking his head through random doors would only do more harm than good, especially since what he had seen on the other side…the spirit had to brace himself against the frozen wall as a fresh crack appeared in the wall behind him, rocking the whole place. Looking over his shoulder, he noticed that the crack seemed to be spreading, reaching out towards him.

"Oh, shit." Even when he had been alive, living out his life as the Li heir, Syaoran had never been one to use profanities, despite his mentor's –albeit in another life- liking for them. But there were some situations that just called for this sort of reaction. As he broke out into a sprint, feet slipping over the frozen water, the spirit of the clone knew that this was one of them.

It felt like he ran for hours on end, the wooden doors flashing by his sides as he moved until he slowed down to a jog, panting hard before stopping to half-lean against the transparent wall.

_I can't believe you did something like that!_ This time the voice that bounced off of his surroundings was distinctly female. Warily, he glanced to his right, noticing a 'happy' door. This had to one of the first he had seen in ages. Against his will, he found his body moving towards it, his hand reaching out to push against the wooden surface. This door swung inwards soundlessly, a flutter of pale lavender petals rushing out into the corridor. Invisible strings pulled him inside as the door swung shut with a loud crack. Only a lavender petal was left behind to drift down to the floor where the brunette had stood only moments before.

"_Go away! I don't want to talk to you or ever see your face again." A pretty, raven-haired girl with crimson streaks in her long hair furiously marched down the translucent crystal steps of Castle Ruval. The giant magical wings, in reality nothing more than the physical manifestation of countless, complex spells keeping the magnificent castle afloat in the sky, held a faint purple hue from the light of the setting sun in the background._

"_Masooma, please," A rather-helpless looking Fai followed closely behind the angry witch. "Give me a chance to explain."_

"_I don't want to hear your explanations, Fai." She whirled around abruptly. "And you can tell the same to your newly-appointed _Oracle._" She spat the word venomously. "If you two _machos_ want to be idiots and kill yourselves in the process of trying to prove who the alpha male around this place is, by all means go ahead. Don't let some stupid, unfashionable bookworm get in your way. I'm leaving." And then she was marching down the stairs again. Two streams of blue runes shot out from Fai's outstretched fingers, wrapping around the raven-head's petite form, halting her in her steps._

"_Fai," she grit out in a voice of forced calm, "Let me the hell go!"_

"_No." The mage responded simply._

"_I swear to God, Fai, if you don't let this spell go this instant," she growled dangerously, "I will not hesitate in tearing you apart limb from effin' limb when I get out of this spell."_

"_I doubt you'd have the heart to do such a thing to me, Masooma."_

"_You over-confident, self-conceited, cocky bastard! Let me GO!" she shrieked._

"_Not until you hear me out." The magician responded stubbornly._

"_I don't care. I don't want to listen to your explanations. Let me go! I want to get as far away from you two as possible! Let me go!"_

"_You can scream all you want, Masooma," the blond said softly as he refused to let go of the spell, taking slow, calculated steps towards the restrained witch as he spoke. "I'm not letting you go. Not now." Then, before the witch could even register what was happening, his lips crashed into hers in a fierce kiss. "Not ever." He growled almost ferally. "I almost lost you once because of my stupidity. I'm not letting that happen again." He told her, planting another harsh kiss on her lips as he finally let the restraining spell fade away. The woman responded in like, her arms clutching on to the man like he was her last lifeline on a ship sailing in a turbulent storm as tears flowed freely down her face. _

"_You idiot!" She slapped him as soon as he pulled away. "You stupid, stupid idiot."She cried, collapsing into his arms as she punched him weakly on the chest. "You could have died. You _both_ could have died."_

"_I know…" He let her hit him, keeping his arms wrapped around her shaking frame as he kissed the top of her head. "And I'm sorry."_

"_You shouldn't even be using your magic right now." She frowned after a while, sniffling softly as she pulled back to look at him through puffy eyes. She looked like a mess just then, but Fai seemed to look at her as though she was the most beautiful creature he had ever laid his eyes on. The blue in his eyes seemed to have faded away quite a lot, a thin, translucent white film coating the irises, giving him a partially-blind appearance. All of a sudden, as though the effect of his actions had finally caught up with him, he swayed on the spot, almost collapsing on the stairs had it not been for the witch keeping him somewhat upright in her embrace._

"_Maybe…"he responded breathlessly, "But you would have left otherwise."_

"_I have half a mind to do that right now." She grunted, but there was no real bite in her words. "You both are idiots." She smiled softly. "When the _Blind One_ is able to move about on his own again, he is so in for a beating." She added. "And you…"_

"_Would you really beat up a half-dying man, Masooma-chan?" Fai said, somehow managing to look really pathetic and weak as he let all his weight fall on her. The girl staggered under the added weight before growling playfully. "I have half a mind to do just that. Infact…" She let go. _

_The magician fell to the steps with a surprised yelp._

"_That's not very nice, Masooma." He whined, "I'm a seriously weakened mage here. Plus, I think it's against the rules to hit your Master. _Especially_ when he is out of commission."_

"_Rules are meant to be broken, Master." She stuck out her tongue before marching back towards the castle. "_You _were the one that taught me that."_

"_H-Hey! You're not gonna leave a weak man out here on the cold steps, are you?" He nervously called out after her._

"_The medic in me seems to think a little bit of cold, fresh air is just what you need." She grinned over her shoulder before continuing up the steps._

"_M-Masooma…Hey, you're not serious about leaving me out here, are you?"_

"_For a couple of hours, maybe," she called back. "Even though you're one heck of a kisser, I'm still pretty pissed off over what you did, so be thankful I'm even talking to you."_

"_Masooma..."Fai whined as her echoing laughter carried all the way over to him in the light breeze as she disappeared inside the castle. It appeared as though the smirking guards stationed at the entrance- who had apparently witnessed everything that had happened- were a lot more afraid of the resident medic then they were of the High Mage as they stayed put at their places._

Syaoran was thrown out of the door harshly, his head colliding with the wall opposite to it rather painfully. It shut with a bang, melting into the wall itself as another crack appeared in its place, racing towards the fallen spirit.

"Damn it!" Cursing, Syaoran was on his feet, racing down the winding corridor, vowing to not stop again, no matter what happened. Not until he had found what he had been sent to find. He knew it was in here somewhere, and he'd be damned if he didn't find it.

-0-

Something soft and warm was cuddling up next to his face, its fluffy little paws playing with his hair as a high-pitched, child-like voice went on and on about one thing and another.

In. Out. In. Out. He concentrated on breathing, pushing down the panic that was bubbling up inside him. It had been such a long time. _They_ had to be planning something by now.

True, he had managed to not respond to whatever they had done to him so far, but how long would he be able to keep it up? The princess's caressing touches, her gentle smiles, her soft, musical voice… they were all just a ruse. Just like all those other times. They were probably just waiting for him to let his guard down. Trust them again so that they could tear at his fragile emotions even more. Would she get angry, though? Angry that he was not responding to her like she wanted him to? Would she hit him the next time she came? He wasn't really fighting back anymore, though, was he? Surely, just because he managed to retreat deep within himself whenever she was around didn't really change the fact that she was still able to feed him like she wanted.

It was strange, though… why had she chosen this new way of feeding him? Was she tired of watching as he choked on his own blood as the feeding tube was shoved down his throat? Was that it? For them to go by so long without hitting him or demanding to know the location of the essence, something that -he had told them time and time again- he did not know… they were most definitely trying to lull him into a false sense of security.

Thoughts like these raced inside his head as he lay motionless in bed, the chatter of the white dimension hopper nothing more than background noise. Things were going slow for now, but how long until the princess tired of this routine? How long before she…

"Sakura!" The dimension hopper cried in ecstasy and Syaoran resisted the urge to flinch. She was back. What would she-

"Hello, Syaoran." She smiled softly as she approached his bedside. "How are you feeling now?" She asked, her soft hands hooking up under his armpits as she moved his body into a sitting position. "I hope you had an enjoyable nap," she said, her hands moving to straighten out and rearrange the sheets. "Mokona kept you company, right?"

"Mokona is always good at keeping company!" The dimension hopper declared happily. "It's one of Mokona's 108 super-secret techniques."

"That's great, Moko-chan." She beamed brightly, and Syaoran found himself wondering just what was it that had the princess in such a good mood. "Your hair is getting a bit out of hand, though, Syaoran." She said, her fingers untangling some of the messy knots in his hair that almost completely managed to hide his eyes from her view. Syaoran had to struggle to keep his breathing under control. It was starting again. She was bored. She always commented on some inane thing before she started tormenting him. But surely…she couldn't be. Syaoran's breath hitched in his throat as he saw her pull out a pair of shears."I thought I could give you a haircut after I'm done changing your bandages."

"This won't take too long." She said as she stepped closer. Syaoran resisted the urge to scoot away from her. If he gave no reaction, she might not go through with it. His eyes flickered down to his bandaged torso before flickering back to the scissors in her hand. His long hair prevented her from seeing his darting eyes, but for how long? How long before she'd notice how he was trembling?

W-Why couldn't he just retreat back into himself like usual? She was getting closer. Only a few feet away from him now.

"Syaoran. Y-You're shaking." No! She should not have seen that. "Is everything okay?"

"N-No." The whimper escaped his lips as he finally lost the battle with his instincts. He shied away from her, scooting back, using his hands until he was at the very edge of the bed.

Her expression was schooled into one of shock and hurt, but Syaoran knew better. It was just a mask. It was all just a sick, twisted game to her. Nothing more.

"_It's okay, Syaoran." Her whispered words echoed inside his head as the expression on her face morphed into one of twisted delight, her jade eyes drinking in the sight of his trembling form._

"It's okay, Syaoran. Relax." She took a step closer and he inched away even more, the bed running out from under him as he toppled over on his back. He hit his head on the ground, somewhat dazed and disorientated for a while as the jade-eyed girl climbed over the bed.

"S-Stay away…"

She froze halfway down the climb.

"Syaoran, I-I.. I need to change your bandages." She said as she started moving again.

Instantly, Syaoran began to scoot away, shaking his head, wide eyes taking in his surroundings though he knew his body lacked the energy to actually stand up and make a run for it. Maybe he could just topple his body over the window sill if he managed to make it that far? It was quite possible that he was being kept in a room on one of the upper levels of the castle, so the fall might actually kill him, but… wouldn't that be a relief? He wouldn't have to bear all this pain anymore.

"Syaoran, please."

"_Syaoran, please. Let's try not to make this any more difficult than it has to be, okay?"_

"No." he mumbled, aggravating his arm that was still in a cast as he struggled to get away from her.

_She was moving closer, knife in hand, a cold, sadistic smile plastered on her face._

"S-Stay away from me."

"Syaoran, please, calm down."

"_Stop struggling so much and I promise it won't hurt that bad." Her cold, frozen fingers trailed up his bare torso, nails digging into the cuts she had inflicted on him with the knife._

"Stay back!" he cried out as a torrent of memories, flashes, sounds, sights, and occasional smells from the time he had spent in those dungeons began catching up with him.

_Her cold, biting laughter._

_His own agonized screams._

_The sound of metal slicing through flesh._

_Biting cold. Pain. Knives. Blood. Needles. Fear._

"Please. No." He shook his head, scuttling as far away from her as he could.

His pleas didn't stop her though. She was towering over him, the pair of shears glinting in the moonlight as she looked down at him.

"_You think your little unresponsive act would fool me for long? I was only letting you have your way to see what you intended to do. But now… I tire of it all. I simply do not have the patience to watch you act like an invalid anymore."_

"No!" He screamed in terror, backing away from her as fast as he could, barely even noticing it as his head collided into something sharp and wooden in his haste to get away. Something warm trickled down the back of his head, sliding down his bare back. His sensitive nose picked up on the tangy scent of blood. "Leave me alone! Please…" he begged, pressing his body into the wall next to the table he had managed to bang the back of his head on. The cold breeze hit his sweating body, making him shudder even further. He was right beneath the window.

"_You really think I'd listen to what you want?"_

"If… If you w-won't listen to me…" he warned her in a shaky voice as he managed to push his body upright using his legs and working arm, leaning heavily against the sill. "I-I swear I'll jump out of the window."

"Syaoran!" She cried out, almost making a rush for him before stopping mid-step, eyeing him nervously as he managed to get half his body on the window sill, still leaning heavily against the wall for support.

"I don't know what I did to deserve what you have put me through, Hime," he said, feeling a little satisfied that for once he had actually gotten her to stop. "But I can't take it anymore."

"_Do I look like I care?"_

"I'm tired of it all and-"

"Kid!" The door to the room burst open, the red-eyed ninja rushing inside, followed closely by Mokona. When had the magical creature left to go call the man? "Step away from the window." He commanded sternly as he stopped next to the princess.

"So you can chain me back?" He laughed bitterly, a bit of delirium and hysteria coloring his tone as he leaned further away from them.

"Syaoran..." Sakura called, echoed by Mokona, tears welling up in its beady little eyes.

"I can't take it anymore," he told them softly, "and it's not like it matters much to you anyways whether I live or die."

"Kid, get away from the fucking window right now!" the ninja growled.

"I just want it to end." He said, leaning further back.

"Syaoran!"

"Kid!"

He saw them move towards him, their hands reaching out to stop him but a small smile tugged at the corners of his chapped lips. Tsubasa had a feeling akin to flying as he sailed through the air, watching as golden sprinkles of magic followed in his wake. The blood from his wounded head flew upwards, leaving a warm trail against his cold skin as the cool night air caressed him, making his longer hair beat about his battered face as he fell, the darkness rushing to claim him. The princess's spell appeared like a shimmering trail of fairy dust against the dark sky always a little out of his reach. _The spell would be too late to stop my fall._ That was the last satisfied thought that rushed through his head as he surrendered himself to unconsciousness, never hearing the sickening crunch as his body hit the ground below.

_**A/N: And now you all probably want to kill me.**_

_**I swear this thing has a mind of its own. There are so many things that I never planned on happening but they just write themselves out. This last scene was actually one of those unplanned things. So yes, I do recall promising that I won't kill anyone in this story but… Yeah. Let's just say that might not be the case anymore. Sorry guys. *sweatdrops* But you people still have a lot of power you know. I already decided on his fate but your opinion might make me change that decision (maybe…) **_

_**So drop by the review room and scream and curse at me for making him jump out of the window. Tell me how much you loved that little fluffy scene between Fai and Masooma (This chapter is my newest favorite in this fic by the way. ;) ;) because of these two scenes.) Ask away any questions that you may have and tell me whether you want Syaoran to live or die. I know what I want to happen next chapter (or rather the runaway plot bunnies do) but you can still make it change so do let me know what you want, k?**_


	21. Breach?

_**A/N: Okay people, so I'm back with another update. I can tell a lot of you would be going 'Finally!' I did after all leave you all hanging on a rather horrid cliffy, did I not? *snickers* right well… I won't keep you anymore and let you go ahead and read. But first!**_

_**Be warned that this chapter has yet to be beta'ed. Therefore you might find some stupid mistakes here and there even though I like to think otherwise.**_

_**Since I have no other means to respond to anonymous reviews, I'll be doing that over here so you can skip on ahead to the end of the A/N if you're too impatient to find out what happens next, k? ;)**_

_**Anonymous:**__** Wow. Killing him off seems like not such a good idea now… sadly, my mind has already been made in this regard and quite a lot of future chapters have also been planned, based on that decision. ^_^;**_

_**And as to answer your question about whether I want any of this happening to me… well… I actually got challenged to write something along those lines a while back. It's a collab fic which you guys will get to see sometime in the future so keep an eye out for it. (though knowing me… I'll end up putting notes in pretty much all my updates when I do get around to putting it up.)**_

_**Help Me I'm Stuck On TRC ():  
**__**Eh? I do? *sweatdrops and goes off to check* yeah… I do. *shot***_

_***blinks* I don't think I have seen so many 'let him live!'s in one place…. I'll see what I can do about that. :p**_

_**asdf ()  
**__**actually, my theory behind the spirit's awakening is the essence of the world that everyone is after. Since the clone Sakura (or the real one) have yet to be exposed to that essence properly, (Sakura held a piece of it in her hand when she separated Syaoran and Tsubasa), the spirit that resides in her body is still dormant. In other words, she (the clone) has no idea of what is going on around her. **_

_**Hehehe… who knew having awesome writing skills could save one from dying. *shot* damn it! I just got shot! Well, here's your update ^_^ Mokona wasn't one of the ones that tortured him but Syaoran is in what you can say… a self-imposed catatonic state. He recedes within his mind in an attempt to protect himself from harm so that is why he doesn't acknowledge Mokona. He is brought out of it when Sakura brings out the sheers, thinking that she had finally grown bored enough to want to go back to torturing him. I hope that cleared up your questions. If you have any more, feel free to ask.**_

_**Enjoy!**_

Masooma looked over her shoulder as she quietly slid the lock out of place. In a city for magicians, it was funny how in the lower catacombs that were supposedly out of bounds for everyone, there was no magic in place to ensure that there would be no trespassers. Not even so much as a guard… The council was too cocky. One of the reasons why Masooma hated working under them as a guardian so much. Seeing that she had not been followed so far, she quickly slipped inside, letting the door shut behind her. Letting out the breath she had been holding, she leaned against the door for a while, wondering whether if what she was about to do was… no. she needed to do this. It was the only way now.

Even if Nixon might get angry at her for doing so… she knew it was the only way. Straightening up, she held her hands out in front of her, feeling the path ahead of her, since the pitch blackness rendered her eyes useless. She could summon a light with magic but then, that would let Nixon know where she was and he'd be there in a heartbeat and stop her from what she was about to do. Her decoy could only work for so long until he figured out that she was not at her usual haunt. He _was_ the Oracle after all…

Feeling the path ahead of her in the twisted catacombs beneath Magihidusi, she tried not to think of the darkness that surrounded her. It was pressing on her from all sides, making her feel claustrophobic and breathless. But the thought of Fai suffering at the hands of those hunters made her go on. Finally, arriving at her destination, in the spacious antechamber of the cave located directly beneath the main pyramid, she slowed down. A gentle glow lit up the cavern upon her arrival, the tendrils of magic gently caressing her face and bare arms. She smiled softly, feeling the essence welcome its guardian.

She set down the pack she was wearing near her feet and proceeded into the chamber that held the essence, a semi-sentient form of magic, powerful enough to destroy the whole world, yet gentle and meek like a newborn babe.

"Can I mask my aura with yours while I contact a friend? There is someone I don't want to find out my location at the moment." The warm tendrils of magic merely caressed her face in response. "Thank you."

Raising her hand in the air, she let the magic gather around her fingers as she traced the words of a spell she had only once used before.

-0-

Nixon felt his concentration slip, but he managed to keep the spell from breaking. He was the only things currently guiding Syaoran safely through the maze that must be Fai's mind right. If he left the spell on its' own, Syaoran would never be able to get through the layers of memories currently in place to protect Fai's fragile mind.

As he forced himself to focus back on Syaoran, he suppressed the urge to swear. He had just been swallowed up by a memory again. Knowing that there wasn't much he could do but wait until the memory ended, Nixon turned his attention to the thing that had caused his lapse in concentration in the first place and found his blood running cold.

"Masooma, you idiot!" he cursed, quickly trying to search her aura. He could sense her somewhere inside the pyramid. In one of the more secluded areas of the upper levels of the structure.

-0-

He had been walking for hours now, occasionally ending up sucked into the wooden doors when he would be unable to resist the magical pull that the memories behind those doors exerted on him. The cracked ice seemed to have taken a darker hue the farther he went, going from clear to translucent to a now eerie obsidian. Strangely enough though, he was not surrounded in a blinding darkness now that his surroundings had become black since despite there not being a source of light, he could see very well. It was quite hard to describe but that was the way it was. Another thing that had changed from earlier was that there were many tunnels branching off of the main one he was walking in the wooden doors now taking home in those side branches instead of the main stem.

At first it had just been a soft whisper on the non-existant wind inside this endless tunnel but as the walls darkened, it started becoming louder and much more pronounced, the soft sobbing of a child. There it was again. It echoed in the side tunnels but Syaoran remembering what he had been told earlier, did not deviate from the tunnel he started out in knowing that what he was searching for lay at the end. He urged his feet to move faster. He was almost there.

Ghostly swirls of dark mist curled around his feet, adding to the surreality of it all.

_I don't want to go._

A wooden door suddenly materialized in front of him. From its worn appearance Syaoran was able to tell that the memory he would have to witness behind it in order for him to make it to the other side, would not be a happy one. He couldn't really understand why he was being made to see them in the first place. It just did not make any sense. True he had been warned not to look behind the doors but it was almost like it _wanted_ him to see them. But… what if he had not been the one to make it in here? What if it had been someone else? Someone with less noble intentions? Surely these memories would prove to be powerful weapons against the blond mage. His deepest, darkest secrets were in here. His fears, his hopes… his everything. If one of the hunters had managed to get in somehow… His mind- already showing how far it had deteriorated thanks to their ministrations- would shatter to nothingness.

So then why?

As his fingers touched the rough wooden surface to push the door blocking his path, Syaoran forgot all about his questions as he became one with the memory once again.

-0-

"Hello Watanuki-san," she smiled softly as the connection established and the bespectacled face of the wishing shop's latest owner appeared before her vision.

"Hello to you as well, Guardian-san," The teen appeared a bit startled but managed to gain his composure quickly. He said nothing else, watching her with a knowing gaze as she seemed to bit her lip in indecision before finally deciding on something.

"I want to make a wish." She said decisively, sealing not only her own fate but the fate of several others who had become tangled with her own during the past few months.

-0-

Syaoran stumbled, managing to catch his footing as a force expulsed him from the memory. Turning to look over his shoulder, he half expected the door to melt into the black ice, an awning crack forming to reach out for him but nothing of the sort happened. All he saw an innocent looking silver mist hanging in the tunnel where he knew the door ought to have been.

Turning back to look ahead, Syaoran found another door blocking his path. Taking a deep breath, he steeled his resolve as he made to push the door. Even though he knew he was violating the blonde's privacy by going through his memories no matter how unintentional that may be, he still couldn't feel self loathing. This was Fai's mind. He was not supposed to be going through all those private cherished moments of his life like this. Even the bad memories, Fai had a right to keep them to himself. He suppressed the urge to smile ruefully. He had been in a similar position with another man in another life. Before he had lost his heart, he had unintentionally ended up going through Kurogane's memories as well. He wondered what it was about him that made him land in such situations.

Before he had been sent here, he had been in the dream world with the Oracle, the blind man having explained to him what had happened in reality. Guilt at what he had done nearly attacked him with a vengeance upon hearing the true story as he realized that he had tortured an innocent man, a man that had landed in his pitiful position after trying to save _his_ son. Before the feeling could overwhelm him though, Syaoran had chosen to shove it away to reflect on later as he had been whisked away to the magician's mind. There was something here he needed to find.

When his fingers were mere inches from the door, the whole place began to quake lightly. A flame-like mist enveloped his surroundings for a brief moment before vanishing to leave behind a smooth, door less corridor.

Syaoran blinked in confusion for a fraction of a second before plowing on. Now was not the time to think. His time in this place was running out.

-0-

Nixon breathed a sigh of relief as he finally managed to regain his grip on the spell. Furrowing his brow in concentration, he started reigning in the various memories that were blocking the spirit's path. Even with his help, Syaoran could only last so long inside the mind of another magician.

Even though a part of him was very well aware of what Masooma was doing at that very moment, he knew he could not go after her. He was the only one protecting the spirit inside Fai's mind. He clenched his fists in anger. What that girl was doing was completely unnecessary. Why couldn't she just sit tight and wait for a while. He was already doing his best to help out. Oracle or not, Fai would seriously have his head when he learnt what Nixon had let the healer do. That girl was definitely going to be the death of him.

-0-

Syaoran hurried along the corridor, very much aware of the sound of chocked sobs that got louder and louder with every passing second. He was close. No more doors had popped out in front of him after the one that had been dissolved in the flaming mist and he had a vague suspicion that the Oracle was behind that.

Up ahead he could see the tunnel opening up.

Good.

He was almost there.

Feeling a bit elated that he had made it to his destination, Syaoran willed his feet to move faster as he arrived at the mouth of the opening. For a fraction of a second all he could see was… nothing. The spirit swirled around to look behind him but the same pressing darkness met his field of vision. The sobs were extremely loud now. But at the same time, they sounded smothered. Like this thick blanket had been placed over his head, not only blocking his sight but also his hearing.

"Hello?" he called out softly but got no response. His own voice sounded just as smothered.

"Is anyone here?" he asked again, this time a little louder but the end result was the same.

-0-

"Are you sure you want to pay this price Masooma-san?" Watanuki's holographic projection asked, eyeing the medic with sadness.

"It _will_ save them, right?"

"There is no guarantee of that."

"But it will improve their chances, no?" she plowed, her tone holding a hint of desperation.

"Yes but," the new shop owner nodded, opening his mouth to continue when the witch cut him off, "Thank you, that's all I needed to know Watanuki-san. I'm willing to pay the price for my wish."

-0-

Nixon clenched his fists, gritting his teeth as he fought the urge to move. He was at the most crucial point. If he left now…

His concentration was pulled back towards the disembodied spirit inside Fai's mind. He had met with another mental block. This one was the last one though if the thing that he feared had not already happened to Fai. Pushing away thoughts of everything else, the Oracle ploughed on. This was the last thing he would be able to help Syaoran with. Everything from here on out, including the thing he feared- if it had indeed happened, the spirit would have face on his own. For all their sakes, he prayed that the brunette was strong enough for what lay ahead as he sent a pulse of his magic through the link that was keeping him connected to the spirit and the mage.

He'd take care of Masooma once he was sure of things at this end.

It was at times like these he wished he could actually use his magic to be at two places at once.

-0-

Syaoran felt a slow burning sensation beginning to spread out from his heart, growing hotter and hotter until he felt like he was on fire. The darkness around him receded as an orange glow took its place and Syaoran was shocked to discover that he was indeed on fire. He opened his mouth to scream but not even air managed to escape his lips. Gasping for air, he fell to the icy floor, a biting cold trying to suppress the fire but not really managing to succeed as the fire flared out. The pain was beyond description as fire and ice waged war on his spiritual form.

As suddenly as it had all begun, the fire and ice went away, leaving him in a panting heap on the floor. The sobbing was all around him but it was no longer smothered. He could hear it as though the person crying was only a few feet away from him. And indeed, as he picked up his trembling body off of the ground and looked around, he noticed a small form huddled a short distance away from him.

"Hey," he made to reach out for the blond curled in around himself only to have his hand impaled by an icicle that came out of nowhere.

"_Stay away." _An almost animalistic voice growled in warning.

"I'm not here to hurt him." he grit his teeth against the pain, watching in startled fascination as _blood_ flowed down the ice crystal to pool on the ground. Pulling his hand free, knowing that this was not completely real, he reached out again with his other hand only to have it impaled by another icicle.

"_Stay away!"_ the voice growled angrily.

"Why?" Syaoran argued, growling in frustration, "I'm only trying to help him!"

"_You lie!"_

"I swear." He shook his head, gritting his teeth against the pain as he freed his hand again. Not giving up, he took a step towards the small form on the ground. This time, the icy spike impaled him through the stomach and Syaoran cried out in pain, coughing up blood from his mouth. "F-Fai-san… Please." He felt blood dribble down his chin as he spoke, "I'm only trying to help him."

Fai walked out of the shadows that blanketed everything else in this place and Syaoran immediately noticed the differences in his appearance. His hair hung about his face in a wild manner, their tips partially matted in blood. He was dressed in nothing more than a pair of torn, bloody jeans, his torso bare and covered in dried blood but surprisingly barren of any wounds. It was his hands and face that drew the spirit's attention though. Fai's eyes were gold, slitted like those of a cat's, his canine's long enough to actually peak out from beneath his lips. Every single one of his fingers was tipped in almost two foot long claws.

"_Help?"_ the thing that appeared like Fai, laughed harshly as it raised Syaoran's chin with the tip of a single claw to stare in his eyes, "_Like you did by sticking your hand in Fai's chest to crush his heart?"_

"N-no!" he gasped, yelling in pain when the icicle that was impaling his stomach seemed to grow in thickness, freezing his insides to ice. "That… that was a misunderstanding."

"_You can't hurt Fai anymore." _The thing growled angrily, all signs of mirth leaving its pale, blood covered features as it glared at the spirit, "_Fai is safe here."_ It walked back to the form huddled on the floor and picked it up in its clawed hands, cradling the blond to his chest like a mother does it's child. It was with a shock that Syaoran realized that the blond in the creature's arms was Fai but… he did not appear to be a day over four.

"He's going to die." He grit out, feeling the icicle tear at his insides. 'This is not real. This is not real. This is not real.' he mentally reminded himself. "If something isn't done soon, Fai-san _will_ die."

"_Fai is safe."_ The thing growled, flicking it's free hand at Syaoran. The frozen ground below the spirit's feet erupted into thousands of sharp but tiny spikes, cutting through his flesh, making him bleed mercilessly.

"Please. Y-you… have to… believe me!" he cried, watching as the creature turned its back towards Syaoran and started walking away with the four year old. Syaoran had by now identified the thing as Fai's vampire side. Somehow… it had separated from the rest of Fai's personality to form an entirely new entity, with only one goal in mind.

"You know… it's not really… her, don't you?" the vampire froze in its footsteps. The brunette noticed his fists clenching a little and the spikes dug even deeper into his flesh, almost reaching upto his thighs now. "Argh!" he cried out in pain as the spikes rose even higher.

"It's messing… with his head…" he gasped, coughing up more blood as the spike in his stomach expanded some more. "Argh!"

-0-

Nixon cut off the connection as he jumped to his feet. The thing he feared had happened. Fai had developed a split personality because of his different sides. The vampire side of him was aggressive, ruthless and hell-bent on protecting his other, weaker and currently vulnerable side. Unfortunately, there was nothing more that he could for either of them without over-stepping the bounds of agreement to be a guardian… Syaoran was on his own now.

Now if only he could find and stop Masooma before it was too late. A part of him knew though… that it was already too late. She had already made the deal.

_**A/N: What do you think could have been her wish? And what about her price? Oh, my beta wants to know whether if you guys want to kill me for not revealing Tsubasa's fate in this update. Yes! It is still unconfirmed as of yet whether he lives or dies. So, now my little duckies, what do you feel like doing? According to my beta (who is still in the process of going through the chapter to rid it of mistakes- I'm too impatient to wait so you get this version for now) **_

"_**People are going to want to kill you for not revealing what happened to Tsubasa, you know.**___

_**What I want to know, though, is how creative they'll be about it." So go ahead and knock yourselves out by answering mine and my beta's questions. I hope you guys enjoyed the update despite my leaving the cliffie unresolved for now. ;) ;)**_


	22. Breaking Point

_**A/N: and the much awaited chapter revealing Syaoran's fate has finally arrived. Are you guys ready for what will happen next? Better cross your fingers and buckles up your seatbelts. Things are about to get interesting. ;) ;)**_

_**Enjoy!**_

"He's bleeding out!" Sakura seemed to be having a panic attack as she knelt beside the unconscious boy whose body was twisted at a rather awkward angle on the ground. From the height he had fallen, it was a wonder he appeared to have only fractured a few more bones and break his leg. He should have been dead by all means, but apparently the spell Sakura had sent after him managed to slow his descent enough for it not to be fatal for him.

Tendrils of smoky golden magic began to wrap around the three of them as Sakura willed a teleportation circle into existence beneath them. They reappeared in what was the medical bay of Clow Castle, Syaoran's bleeding body quickly staining the white sheets beneath him red. He was coughing up blood, unable to draw a proper breath as his body thrashed and convulsed in desperation. Even without using magic to scan his body for internal injuries, Sakura knew something- possibly a broken rib- had ruptured one of his lungs. He was suffocating, choking on his own blood. Disregarding the fact that this was even worse than the condition he had been brought in for the first time with Kurogane, Sakura let her hands hover over his shuddering chest, her magic letting her know the extent of the damage his body had suffered from the fall. Apparently one of his ribs had ruptured his right lung. His spine was damaged as well, which might result in paralysis of the lower part of his body. Given enough time and medication, it might actually heal quite nicely but for now, Syaoran was going to be bed-ridden. Knowing that there was no time to waste, Sakura began barking orders at the couple of healers still present in the infirmary. It was quite out of character for the soft-spoke princess, but it was all Sakura could do to hold herself together for the time being. Pushing aside all her personal feelings, the jade-eyed princess set about trying to save the life of her beloved once again.

One of the healers, taking note of the sight before her, rushed out to fetch the High Priest while the other came over to help. Faster than ever before in her life, Sakura performed several life-support spells on Syaoran, knowing full well that the brunette would not make it through the night otherwise. With part of her magic working on stabilizing his condition, the princess turned her attention towards the male's punctured lung.

-0-

A dull, throbbing ache assaulted his chest as he clawed his way back to consciousness. Blearily opening his eyes, he took in his surroundings. A high ceiling, bright golden sunlight filtering in through silken curtains. A sense of wrongness accompanied the serene atmosphere and he soon discovered its reason in the form of a mob of auburn hair resting at his bedside to his right, near his chest level. Careful so as not to rouse the person sleeping beside him, he struggled to sit up, panic gripping his heart when he realized he could not feel his lower body. What… what had she done to him? Breath coming in rapid gasps, his eyes darted around the room in panic. He had thought… he had thought when he had jumped out of the window, he'd be free of this pain forever but it seemed as though the cruel princess hiding behind the innocent façade of a sweet, loving girl had other plans for him. Wanting to ensure that he wouldn't be able to perform another trick like that one in the future, she must have done something to take away the mobility of his lower body. After all that he had been through at her hands, he wouldn't put it past the princess anymore.

"S-Syaoran?" the girl mumbled sleepily as she sat upright, "you're awake!"

He held her bloodshot, jade-eyed gaze for a moment before looking away, mind furiously working on some sort of plan to ensure his survival. He stiffened as her hand came to rest on his forearm.

"Don't touch me." He hissed venomously, refusing to look at the girl that had turned his life into a nightmare worse than hell.

"What?" her words were soft, lathered in disbelief and tinged with hurt. She was a brilliant actress, he'd give her that. If he didn't know any better, Syaoran would have almost felt guilty at making her so sad.

"I said, get your hands away from me!"He growled, grabbing her wrist and flinging it away from his arm. "You'll never be satisfied, will you, Princess?" Had she pricked him with something while had been looking away? He felt so lightheaded and dizzy, the world almost swimming before his vision but he blinked it away. Or atleast, tried to. "Tell me, Princess, did it make you happy? When I jumped out of that window… or did you panic at the thought of losing your _toy_? I bet that's why you paralyzed me. Just so I would not be able to try anything like that again. Well rest assured, Hime-sama," he paused, suddenly feeling very exhausted, "I won't stop trying to get away no matter what you do!"

"What will it take?" She all but cried out, her small hands gripping his shoulders in a tight grasp as she turned him around to face her. "Tell me Syaoran. Why won't you believe me? That girl wasn't me!"

_She is a brilliant actress. It's just an act. It's just an act. She's just acting._ Syaoran mentally recited this mantra, feeling panic begin to twist his gut into painful knots. His eyes darted around the vacant infirmary before focusing back on the princess. The world was swimming around him, his lungs having trouble sucking in enough air but he struggled not to let any of this show on his face.

"I've been trying so hard to make you believe me but you… What will it take? Tell me?" she nearly screamed, "What can I do to make you believe it wasn't me who hurt you?"

_It's just an act, _he reminded himself as his vision began to darken around the edges as he struggled to pull in enough air to breathe. "…. Kill yourself." He narrowed his eyes at the girl who let go of him in apparent shock, even managing to stumble back a couple of steps.

"W-what?" she gasped, her wide eyes staring at him in disbelief.

"You heard me," He refused to let the sight of her wide, jade orbs rattle him, "Kill yourself."

"…fine!" Syaoran smiled grimly as he watched her pluck a surgical scalpel from one of the drawers in the table behind her, "If that's what it will take then…" she said as her grip tightened on the blade, the princess taking firm steps towards him until she was almost towering over him, "fine!"

A morbid smile made its way to his lips once more as his grip on consciousness slipped. He knew she'd never go through with the act. She'd sooner turn the blade on him than use it to take her own life. He knew she was close to doing it just then. He just needed to push her over the edge. Enrage her enough to make her want to kill him. That was the only way he knew he'd ever really break free from her hold.

"Do it." He hissed as the last of his awareness fled him, "I dare you." He never heard the infirmary doors blast open, nor the pounding footsteps that raced across the room towards him and the princess.

-0-

"Sakura!" Touya cried in alarm, racing down the aisle as fast as he could, using a bit of magic to make him move faster, just so he could stop his stupid sister before she…

"What the hell are you thinking, you Baka!" he yelled, his hand managing to catch her slim wrist inches before the tip of the scalpel tore through her own chest and heart.

"H-he… h-he… Sy-Syaoran… he…" the girl sobbed brokenly as she looked from her brother to the boy lying unconscious in the infirmary bed, to the red-eyed ninja standing right next to her brother, the former's eyes narrowed in confusion, anger and… fear.

"I-I… he… T-Touya… oh Touya…" His sister crumpled into a shuddering sobbing heap in his arms, warm tears soaking through his clothes to burn against his flesh as she cried into his shirt. He glared at the ninja in anger as the man began straightening the brat in bed before arranging the sheets around his body. Crushing his sister to himself, he met the red-eyed man's gaze, silently promising his vengeance on the man's apprentice.

-0-

Touya softly shut the door to Sakura's room behind him, having finally managed to put the girl to sleep. He felt bad about sedating her with Yukito's help, but there wasn't much else he could have done for her with the state she had been in. Waving off his best friend's concern, the young king set off stalking through the castle hallways in search of a certain ninja. It was time that man answered some questions.

"What happened in that world?" He growled once he found the red-eyed man, staring out towards the ruins from the window next to the entrance to the infirmary. The stoic ninja remained silent and Touya felt his blood boil at the other's silent demeanor. Fists clenched by his sides, he stalked forward, reaching out to violently turn the older man to face him.

"I said," he growled softly, "what the fuck happened back there? Look, I know you care a lot about that brat, but my little Kaijuu is a hysterical mess because of him. She tried to _kill_ herself just to prove something to him. She'd hate me for as long as she lives if I did something to that… that _boy,_ but I won't hesitate to risk her wrath right now unless I know what happened! All I can see is his face and I want to crush him like the little worthless insec-"

"Shut up." Kurogane growled as he lowered his fisted hand. His punch had shut the young king up mid-sentence. "You want to know what happened? Fine, I'll tell you. But you better not show your face around the kid again or king or not, I won't hesitate in killing you, understand?"

"We'll see about that _after_ you tell me." Touya responded coolly, crossing his arms as he leaned against the banister.

The ninja glowered at the king for quite a while before huffing under his breath as he turned back to staring out the window. It was almost five minutes before the man spoke again, nearly wearing out Touya's patience in the process.

"_She won't let you guys go there." Nixon said softly as he stepped up to Fai's right and sat down. Fai looked at the sleeping witch in his arms and clenched his eyes shut. _

"_But we need to go there. Mokona is-"_

"_If the dimension hopper is the only reason why you want to break into that city, we can try an alternative first." He interrupted._

"_Alternative?"_

"_Masooma and I know the location of the essence. We can take your friend there and try to see if the essence can help us out in waking Mokona."_

"_Will it work?"_

"_I can't say. But it might be for the best if we exhausted all our other options first. I don't really like the idea of you three going there either."_

"_What if it doesn't work? What if we have to go to the city after all? Won't that compromise the location of the essence?"_

"_There is a spell that all guardians are taught. If worse comes to worst and you do have to go there… we'll simply extract the memory that holds the knowledge of the location. That way… even if you end up getting captured…"_

"_The essence remains safe." Fai nodded in understanding._

"As it turned out, the essence was not what we needed to wake the Manju up with." Kurogane said gruffly as he shot a look over at the king before turning his attention back to the ruins. "The witch was adamant about us not going to the city but the Oracle agreed with us, knowing about the toll the price takes on the kid whenever he remains in one place for too long. He erased our memories before giving us the map to city and the complex that we had to break into to get the cure for the meat bun."

-0-

Sakura once again found herself standing in the now-familiar looking landscape of the dream world.

"Hello,Princess."

"Nixon-san," the girl greeted the blind Oracle softly.

"That was quite a stunt you almost pulled there today." The man said casually as he leaned against a cherry blossom tree that had appeared out of nowhere. Conveniently enough, it was placed right behind him.

"I-I…"

"Did you even stop to think for a moment that your impulsive action might end up doing more harm than good, Sakura?" He said this sternly making Sakura look at him in surprise. She had talked to the man twice before in her dreams but he had always been… almost as cheerful and careless as Fai!

"I'm sorry." She bit her lip, looking away.

"I'm not the one that needs to hear it," he responded evenly.

"…"

"I know what you're going through is hard but you have to understand, Sakura, Syaoran was trapped in that place for two months. The woman that tormented him wore _your_ face, had _your_ voice and _your_ scent. Just because you claim it wasn't you…" he left his words hanging in the air.

"… won't make him believe it wasn't me… but then…" she struggled to keep her tears at bay but the memory of the way Syaoran had looked at her when he had told her to kill herself surfaced. His eyes had held nothing but contempt and hatred, not even a shred of the love he once held for her present in his gaze. "What should I do? I've been trying so hard to make him believe me. I've seen his memories. I've been trying to heal him every chance that I get. But he… he doesn't want my help. I can't take it. I… I just can't."

"Once he realizes the truth, I'm sure he'll be able to bring himself to allow you to help."

Tears were freely streaming down her face but there was hope sparkling in her eyes.

"All he needs is some time."

"… I don't want to leave him behind but… every second we stay here waiting for him to recover is a second more that Fai-san spends in torment. How long will he be able to hold on?"

"Syaoran's spirit is trying to help him right now but I'm afraid even with his help, Fai doesn't have very long before he is beyond any help."

"How much time do we have?"

"Two more days at most." The oracle responded shortly, "Bring Tsubasa along when you both come. We have someone here who might be able to help him recover faster."

"But how will we get there? Mokona can't choose the world Moko-chan jumps to."

"Talk to the new owner of the wishing shop. Make a wish. I'm sure he'd be more than happy to help you out."

"Thank you, Nixon-san."

"Don't mention it, Princess." The man finally smiled the smile that was reminiscent of Fai. "Oh, and before you wake up, there is something else that I need to discuss with you…"

_**A/N: *grins* so who that one coming? Syaoran actually managed to drive Sakura off the edge. If it hadn't been for Touya's and Kurogane's timely arrival, we might have been short a magical princess. **_

_***sighs* I seriously need to find some place to fit in the actual capture scene/flashback for Syaoran. I just love making things hard for myself. .Anywhoo… leave a review or two if you enjoyed the update. And feedback, comments and constructive criticism is greatly appreciated as well.**_


	23. Before the Storm

_**A/N: Broken has just crossed the 200 review mark people! This chapter is dedicated especially to '**_Winged Wolfie Chibi'_** since they happen to be the 200**__**th**__** reviewer and to everyone else who's stuck by my irregular updates and 'makes-you-wanna-kill-the-author' cliffhangers. Thanks guys. Go ahead and enjoy the update now.**_

"… Nixon," Masooma called out meekly as she stood by the door to the Oracle's room, "are you still mad at me?"

The man said nothing in response.

"I know about that promise you made to Fai," she admitted after a while, "and I know… that you're more angry with yourself for not being able to stop me from doing it than with me for actually going through with it… but," her voice grew stronger as she took a deep breath before continuing, "why can't you idiots understand, I'm _not_ a child. I am perfectly capable of making my own decisions."

"So you made the deal just to prove that you've _grown up_?" Nixon spat as he appeared at the door, his sightless eyes staring down at her blankly. He looked livid but she knew better than to let his anger intimidate her. Unconsciously, she still ended up taking a step back though.

"Nixon, I didn't do it for that reason," Masooma bristled in response, refusing to let it show how much it was affecting her, "and you _know_ it."

"… knowing why you did it doesn't change the fact that I broke my promise."

"Damn it! I have _had_ it with you two with your stupid promises. I'm not a helpless little girl Nixon. I knew what I was doing and I know how to take care of myself."

"Take care of yourself?" he repeated, giving out a harsh bark-like laugh, "Just like you did back in Metropolis? I could see how wonderfully you had accomplished that when I found your bleeding body back in that cell… Shit." The oracle's eyes widened when he realized just what it was that he had said. "Oh shit…. Masooma, I swear I didn't-"

Slap!

"I never thought that you of all people would…" Masooma hissed as she lowered her hand, her eyes welling up with tears as she stared at the man before her.

"Masooma, I-" he tried to talk but she talked over him.

"You know what? I don't care anymore." Taking in a shuddering breath, she tried to reign in her emotions. She was not going to cry in front of him. "I'm not going to explain myself to you so you can think whatever you want." She whirled around and started walking away as fast as she could without having to run.

"Masooma, wait!" hearing his footsteps follow her down the narrow corridor, she quickly started calling a transportation spell, her body dissolving into wisps of smoke even as she ran. She fell to the ground once she emerged on the other end of the portal, unable to hold back her tears anymore. Not caring that she was in the middle of a decrepit, dying forest of leaveless tress, she began to cry, her body shuddering with the effort to keep her voice down.

-0-

Nixon punched the wall next to him just as the last wisps of the Masooma's magic faded away into thin air, feeling like the biggest idiot in the world. He had let his mouth run off ahead of him in his anger. He should have just kept quiet. At least that way, he wouldn't have made the situation worse for her than it already was. Just knowing what price she was supposed to pay for her wish, it must have been taking its toll on her already. And then he just had to go and mention _that_.

He knew she would need some time to come to terms with what she had agreed to a few days back. She had probably come to him in hopes of getting some reassurance. And what had he done? He had gone and opened his big mouth. He could sense her flickering aura at the edge of the forest that covered and concealed the entrance to the city from the hunters. She had come a long way from what she had been back when they had arrived in this world and just like she had claimed, she really could take care of herself now. But the state she was in… she might just let the hunters capture her to spite him… or to help Fai in some other stupid, self-sacrificing plan. Why couldn't she have just waited until the other arrived? The toll she had taken was completely unnecessary.

Deep down though, Nixon knew that last part was completely untrue. And that was probably what upset him the most. After all, he had come to Fai in hopes of saving her from this very pain, back in Celes, when he had asked for the blond to tell the girl to leave that world with him. Being the Oracle made him immune to curses and outward threats of his home-world but Masooma had had no such protection. Because of her close relationship with Fai, he had known for a fact that in order to provoke Fai into killing him, Ashura would have gone after her and would have undoubtedly taken her life in an attempt to rid the blond of his curse and save his people from the monster that the king had become. Knowing what the future held for them all had they chosen to stay in Celes, Nixon had chosen the most harmless way out at that moment and that had been to escape Celes altogether with the girl that was fated to die at the hands of the well-meaning ruler.

Despite being the all seeing Oracle, even he was not allowed to tell the entirety of the future events to anyone and so he had told Fai in the best way possible, withholding information that he knew would affect the future too greatly. The blond had understood that of course and conceded to let the Oracle take her away, but not before making the blind man promise her happiness and safety until the time they met again. Perhaps some subconscious part of the blond magician had had an inkling about the fate that awaited him for there was no way for him to meet up with them unless he left Celes behind for good to traverse the multiverses.

Sighing, the Oracle retired to his room, his thought drifting over the events of the past few days as he walked over to his small bed in the corner of the room. Starting with how he had helped Syaoran's spirit inside Fai's mind, he went over Fai's vampire side's reaction to the spirit's presence within his mind. Convincing the over-protective creature that he meant no harm was something Syaoran had to do on his own. While he had been busy guiding the spirit in the blonde's mind, Masooma had sneaked down to the cave containing the essence and secretly contacted the shop owner and made her wish. Soon after that, Tsubasa had jumped out of the window of the room he was being kept in at Clow and tried to commit suicide. It was a good thing that all priests and priestesses at Clow were required to master the art of healing before taking up their positions. Otherwise things might have just gone to hell. Unfortunately though, the reckless move on the boy's part had cost him the mobility of his lower body. He knew that Sakura thought there was still hope for the boy's complete recovery, as far as his physical health was concerned, Nixon was a bit doubtful. Tsubasa's health would be out of her hands the minute they arrived in this world. He _might_ be crippled for life depending on how things headed out once they got here.

The shock of discovering his lack of ability to move, had frightened Tsubasa greatly. So much that he had ended up pushing the princess to commit suicide in hopes of proving her innocence to him. Not that the boy had thought that, of course. He had been convinced she would kill him and free him from further torment. He had called the princess's soul to the dream world once again just so he could talk to her. He had made no attempts to hide his disappointment when he had spoke with the girl but he did feel a bit bad about having to behave so harshly with her. After all, seeing the one you love more than your own life, mistrust you so much… it hurt and he knew that from experience. It takes time for that trust to build up again.

Although… he might just have shattered that trust with the one person he cared about. Shaking his head, he quickly forced that line of thought out of his mind. Dwelling on what had happened with Masooma would not do either of them any good.

He had told Sakura that they had two more days to get to this world if they wanted to help Fai. He just hoped his efforts to help the blond survive would be enough until then, because time flowed differently in both worlds. What was merely a week in Clow had been equal to a month in Magihidusi.

-0-

Syaoran woke up with a groan, blinking his eyes several times as he took in his dank surroundings. He was back in the dungeon. Looking down, he found neither the blood, nor the gaping holes that had been caused by Fai's vampire side impaling him with icicles. He wasn't sure whether he had succeeded in convincing the blond that he meant to help him but he was sure he had done all he could have. The rest was up to the motionless man lying on the ground in a shivering mess. He couldn't believe he had missed all those signs when his son had been trapped here. But then again, he had been watching the events unfold from Tsubasa's eyes once he had regained awareness of their surroundings. And quite a lot of time had passed until then. The drugs that had been continuously pumped into the brunette's bloodstream had not helped the situation any. He could only hope that what had happened to him in his captivity would not end up affecting his son for the rest of his life. Knowing how much his wife's other self loved his son; he knew that Tsubasa was in good hands. And he just had to help Fai cope until the others came for him. They'd be okay once they were out of here.

-0-

Fai became aware of the excruciating pain his hands as his consciousness returned. Blearily opening his eyes, he looked around. He was lying on the ground, the stench of blood, sweat and something else saturating the air around him. It was dark yet his eyes could pick up even the smallest of cracks in the dark stones that were used to build his cage. Unlike the last cell where there had been a small window to let in a bit of fresh air this room was completely closed off. And from the smell of rot and decay, most probably underground as well. He wondered if it was because he had killed two guards and almost made it back to Magihidusi from his last location. They must have changed his location when they had captured him again. There was a strange veil over some of his memories. He could tell that a lot of time passed but he could not really recall what had happened in that time. All he knew was that it had not been good. He could recall being confused, in pain and extremely scared and betrayed but what those events had been that had led to the feelings escaped him. It was almost like he had been trapped inside his own head for all that time and someone had only just recently set him free.

"_Fai-san?"_ the familiar voice gave him a start. Sitting up abruptly and getting a rather bad attack of vertigo, his glowing catlike eyes finally settled on the almost invisible apparition in a corner of the cell.

"Syaoran-kun?"

"_Uh…. How do you feel, Fai-san?"_ the brunette asked almost hesitantly.

"What are you doing here, Syaoran-kun?" He asked, fear gripping his heart at the thought of having been too late to save the boy. There was no other way he would still be here. Did he die and end up getting stuck here as a ghost? "W-Weren't you supposed to be in Clow?"

"_Does this mean you don't remember what happened?"_

"You didn't die, did you?"

"_No, Tsubasa is still alive. He's at Clow."_

"So then you're… are you a hallucination?" Fai furrowed his brow, bits and pieces of his memory coming back to him.

"_Uh… not exactly."_

Fai grunted as a flash of a familiar face glowering above him surfaced in his mind. The face was twisted in anger and hatred, an indescribable pain akin to a hand crushing his heart shooting through his body, his breath coming in shallow, rapid pants.

"_-i-san? Fai-san?"_

"…You tried to kill me." He panted, blinking the memory away as he stared at the apparition with mistrust and a hint of anger and fear.

"_It was a misunderstanding."_

"You tried to kill me because of a misunderstanding?"

"_I can explain."_

"Explain why you tried to kill me?" the blond repeated incredulously as his eyes darted around the dark room for means of an escape, "I risked my _life_ to save you and you tried to kill me!"

"_It was a mistake!"_ the spirit cried out defensively but this seemed to set the wizard off even more.

"How can you try to kill someone by mistake?" the man hissed as his catlike eyes settled on the brunette in an unsettling gaze. He could see the apparition fidget for a while as it avoided his eyes before a determined look passed the boy's face as he looked back at him, staring him fully in the eye.

"_I know you're hurt and angry at what I did Fai-san but believe me when I say this. I regret everything I did to you. I'm… also sorry that I accidentally viewed your memories in your head but,"_ he added hastily afraid that the blond might interrupt his confession_, "I did not mean to. I went there to try and help you find a way back to the surface."_

"What do you mean?" he asked sharply as the loud clack of approaching footsteps echoed in the corridor outside. The apparition swore violently as his brown eyes darted towards the door before desperately looking back at Fai.

"_Fai-san, please, I need you to listen to me. I swear I'll explain everything once they leave. I know I haven't done anything to earn your trust but please, just do as I say."_

The blond ignored him in favor of glaring at the entrance to his cell as a familiar scent reached his nose. It was _her._ As soon as he realized it, a low growl began to form in his throat as his nails began to subconsciously elongate into claws. The excruciating pain of his broken fingers realigning themselves lost on his mind that was focused on one thing and one thing only.

"_Fai-san please." _the apparition begged him but the captive mage ignored the brunette.

He heard the loud scrape of the door being unbolted as the woman stepped inside. The door was locked behind her again though he could smell two guard stationed right outside his cell in the hallway. The woman seemed to be busy looking through some sort of list in her hand as she did not look up to meet his gaze as she walked over to him. The vampire hybrid tensed his body in preparation for an attack even though he knew he'd never be able to make it past the door in his state. But he knew he had to do something.

"_Fai-san, don't! They'll just drug you again. We'll never get a chance to talk if they do that and you won't be able to find out what's going on."_

It appeared as though the woman had not heard the disembodied voice like he had as she continued going through the list in her hand. Fai briefly considered attacking her regardless of the consequences but in the end, logic won out.

"_You have to act really afraid of her, whimper and try to back away from her if you must. But look at her like she's your only hope of survival. She'll be expecting you to behave that way. And… you must call her by Masooma-san's name. I'll explain everything but please,"_ the boy added desperately as the woman almost seemed done with her scanning, "_just do as I say for now."_

The woman tucked her file into a pocket of jacket before smiling at the blond.

"Hello Fai."

The blond seemed to shrink in on himself as his blue eyes darted all around the room, before focusing on her face. "M-Masooma?" a soft whimper erupted from his lips as the woman smiled widely, her cold silver eyes almost glittering in the relative darkness of the room.

The mask of a scared, confused wizard slipped onto his face effortlessly. No one had ever denied that the magician was a brilliant actor.

-0-

Masooma felt the cold wind bite at her wet, tear-stained cheeks as she leaned against the wooden stump of what was once no doubt a majestic tree. Her surrounding were desolate and barren, no signs of life within miles, an atmosphere of utter dejection and hopelessness saturating the cold air, reflecting her emotions almost poetically.

She had never thought that the man she had considered to be her biggest source of comfort whenever she had been distraught, would be the cause of her misery. She should have known though. It was bound to happen sooner or later. All because of some stupid promise he had made, that man was worse than an over-protective brother glaring at all male members of the opposite species if they were in so much as in her line of visibility. Of course, the Oracle had never really threatened anyone in that regard or anything or even glared at anyone for that matter- even if his sightless eyes glaring at people proved to be greatly unnerving. It was the way he treated her. At first it had just been unnecessary fussing over her whenever she hurt herself in one of her endeavors. But it had gotten worse after that had arrived in this world and she had suffered at the hands of the hunters. She knew he cared about her a lot, he'd never go to such length for just about anyone, but it was just… he always got so upset when she did something silly or unnecessary in his eyes. He considered it failure at having to protect her.

He needed to understand that she was her own woman and could efficiently make her own decisions. It wasn't like he had made some vow of protecting her from every negative thing the world had to offer. The brown-eyed girl had no idea how wrong she was about that for Nixon had indeed made such a vow to his best-friend when he had taken away her unconscious form from Celes. She had been unwilling to leave Fai behind when the idea had been proposed and it had taken both magicians to knock her out long enough for them to get her out of the palace.

Taking in a shuddering breath, Masooma watched it curl in a visible mist when she exhaled, the vapors hanging before her for a while before dissipating. She'd have to head back pretty soon but for now, she wanted nothing more than to sit there in the desolate forest and wallow in her misery.

-0-

_**A/N: So, was this chapter any good? If the scene with Fai and Syaoran was confusing, don't hesitate to let me know though the rest of it was pretty clear IMO, but then again, I could be wrong. Anywho, lemme know what you guys think of the update. I'm kinda excited about the next chapter though since it's got two of my favorite scenes in the whole fic so far. ;) ;)**_


	24. Bittersweet Comfort

_**A/N: My favorite chapter so far. It's finally here for you guys to enjoy.**_

Touya let the door shut behind him gently as he moved through the darkened infirmary like a shadow. That red-eyed ninja, Kurogane had been watching the boy like a hawk, not giving the young king any chance to speak with the boy alone. Now that the exhausted ninja had gone off to get some sleep before the trio's departure the next afternoon, he knew he had finally gotten his chance. The brunette's arms were strapped to the frame of the bed, in an attempt to stop him from trying to take his own life. His once healthy body was scarred and skeletal thin, his skin sallow and pale, his hair long and unkempt. All in all, he looked pathetic. He lay there, completely motionless but judging from the barley controlled rise and fall of his chest, the boy was clearly awake, and more importantly aware of his presence in the infirmary.

The jealous and over-protective irritation that he felt at the sight of the boy once upon a time was now replaced with a blinding fury. This… This brat had been the reason Sakura had tried to kill herself! How dare he just lay there, pretending to be the victim when it was his beloved monster of a sister that was suffering? Gritting his teeth, Touya stalked over to the teen, relishing the way he noticed boy's body tense up in fright. His breathing was rapid and way too erratic though the brat kept his eyes clenched shut pretending to be asleep.

"I know you're awake brat." He growled as he stopped at the foot of his bed.

"…" the brunette did not give up on his act though.

"I'm not going away until you answer me."

"Did she send you to hurt me in her stead?" the dejection in his tone only served to fuel Touya's anger. He had the guts to imply that his baby sister wanted to hurt the brat when all she had done so far was try and heal him. He had heard the ninja's tale about the suffering this brat had endured at the hands of those hunters in that other world and deep down, somewhere buried beneath all his anger was a spark of pity for the boy. It wasn't his fault he was so messed up in the head. But crazy or not, the kid had still provoked Sakura to hurt herself. And that was something unforgivable in Touya's book.

"You wish." He snorted in contempt, glaring hard at the boy who had finally opened his eyes to look at him. He did not miss the way the boy seemingly shrunk in on himself at seeing his frowning face, though a spark of that annoying defiance was still present in his amber-eyed gaze.

"Do it." The brat dared him, though his breathing sped up a bit more. "I can see it in your eyes. You want to kill me too. Just go ahead and do it."

"You're right." Touya said as he reached for the sword strapped at his side and drew the gleaming blade as he walked around the bed towards the right to stand near the head, "I want to kill you before you're able to draw another breath." He said as he lowered the sword rest inches above the brunette's jugular, "but I'm not going to." The boy's eyes widened slightly, fear overtaking the defiance completely. He heard rather than saw the teen struggle against the straps that had his arms pinned down.

"I want to make you feel hurt." He moved the point of his sword a little lower to rest in the middle of the pinned boy's ribcage. "I want to make you suffer."

"N-No…" the brat gasped, pulling frantically at his bonds, his body radiating his fear like a thick, intoxicating drug.

"I want to make you feel the pain that she has been feeling ever since that ninja brought your broken body here." He let the sword move a little lower to rest above the boy's navel. "I want to make you hurt you so bad that you lose your voice from all the screaming."

"No," the brat whimpered this time, his eyes frantically darting all around him. Touya grinned.

"I want to string you up by your hands and flay you until all the flesh peels off of your bones," he hissed, moving his weapon away from the boy as he bent to loom over the brat until the only thing the teen could see was the enraged king's face. "Then I want to drag you to most distant part of the desert," he promised softly, watching in satisfaction as the boy cowered in fear, "and I want to leave your bleeding body there for the beasts to tear apart and feed on."

"N-no…" the boy begged and the raw helplessness in his voice made Touya reign in his anger a little, but only just a little, "please."

"Please what?" he scoffed, "Please let you go? Please let you live? Please leave you alone?" he spat, not really noticing the way the other's body began to relax, or the way the brat's eyes began to lose focus. "Please what?"

"Please…" the brunette breathed weakly, "just… kill me already." The boy's whispered plead made Touya take a step back in surprise and shock. All those other times he had overheard the brat asking for death, it had been in defiance, thrown at the brunette's audience as a challenge. But this? This made the king reel in disgust and pity. Just what had those bastards done to the brat? This shell, this _joke_ of a human being… it was nothing like the brave teen that had fiercely sworn to lay down his own life for Sakura's safety. This was not even a broken reflection of that annoying brat. This pathetic _child_ was even worse than a shattered copy of the former.

His anger had dissipated by now, his gaze somehow softening as he looked down at the unconscious boy. When had he passed out? His chest rose and fell with each breath, the corners of his closed eyes moist with unshed tears, his cracked lips slightly parted, and soft moans of pain spilling from his mouth ever now and then. Dark blue veins were visible across his pale neck, beneath the paper thin skin, pulsing like a snake, dulating and undulating as it slithered across the desert sand. For a fraction of a second, Touya's hands twitched to reach out and snap that slender neck. After all, it wasn't like the boy would put up any struggle in his bound and unconscious state. But the moment passed and Touya kept his hands by his side, merely observing the boy as he slept. He wondered briefly what it was that the brunette might be dreaming about but judging from the quiet whimpers, he could tell whatever it was, it wasn't pleasant. He still wasn't clear on why the brat thought it had been his own companions that had tormented him so greatly but from what he had gathered from Sakura's explanation a while back, it had something to do with a hallucinatory drug of some sort. But he had never heard of anything that could make someone see his loved ones in place of his tormentors.

"I would have killed you without a thought," Touya admitted quietly as he found himself placing the palm of his hand atop the unruly mop on the brunette's head. The hair felt thin and coarse beneath his fingers, almost brittle like fragile glass. "Had I not known that it would kill Sakura as well… And… I know that you've been through a lot as well but she's not who you think she is. Give her a chance to prove it to you." He stepped away, letting his hand fall to his side as he began making his way towards the exit of the infirmary, "I hope you'll be able to trust her again brat."

The dark-haired king stopped outside the double doors, letting his eyes come to rest at the small, dimension hopper that stood patiently waiting for the king's return.

"What are you doing out here, meat bun?" Touya questioned the rabbit, "you were supposed to stay with the brat and look after him while the ninja isn't around."

Touya expected the bunny to huff and slip through the partially open doors into the room but what he did not expect was for the white creature to hop onto his shoulder and snuggle up to him.

"Mokona wants to thank Touya for forgiving Syaoran."

"I haven't forgiven him." Touya huffed as he looked away, subconsciously clenching his hands into fists, "I've just given him another chance. After all, the brat isn't himself right now."

-0-

_The night was not that cold but she was still shivering from having spent such a long time at the pyramid roof, crying her heart out in the arms of the man that walked beside her. They had not spoken any words after she had confessed to being tortured and violated when in the hands of the hunters and he had whispered sweet reassurances to her. She shivered again as another chill travelled up her spine. Something warm and soft was wrapped around her bare shoulders and she looked up at the blond in surprise._

"_You were cold." Fai said by way of explanation as he shoved his hands into the pockets of his pants._

"_Thank you." She responded softly, pulling it closer to herself to breath in his familiar scent of vanilla and chocolate. "I-I… I think we should head off to bed now." She added as she hurried her footsteps in the direction of her living quarters. She still felt greatly shaken up by having have had to relive those horrible memories._

"… _Masooma." She hear him call her name and felt herself halt in her steps, her spine going rigid though she did not turn around to face him. A firm yet gentle grip on her arm made her spin back before a pair of soft, warm lips attacked her mouth. A whimper of fear and disgust formed in her throat as memories of _that_ time rose to the surface of her mind and she tried to step away from him. The blond however, refused to relent as he moved along with her, pushing her gently to the wall of the small hallway as he trapped her between himself and the brickwork. Her body shuddered in panic and fright at the action but the blond kept a firm grip on her, his right hand holding her arm while his left one shielded the back of her head from the rough stone. His hands never left those spots but Masooma could feel giant phantom hands roaming all over her body, increasing the feeling of disgust tenfold. She let out another whimper, unable to make her body obey her command as it remained frozen in its place. She felt him draw away from her, stroking her hair lovingly but she kept her eyes clenched, incapable of even bringing herself to open them and see his face._

"_Masooma," he breather tenderly as he cupped her cheeks in his hands, "I'd never ever hurt you." She could almost picture the look on his face as he stared at her but she didn't open her eyes to confirm it. A soft sob spilled through her lips as the memory of those phantom hands grabbing her cheeks to part her lips rose to the surface._

"_N-No…" she moaned, clenching her eyes shut even tighter in an attempt to make the feeling go away. It had been a long time since _that_ had happened and she had come a long, long way but despite the passage of time, she had never even allowed Nixon to hold her for long. And the blind man had paid a major role in her recovery. She knew she was damaged though. She could never really turn back into the girl she was before and even the Oracle was aware of that._

_She felt the warm pad of one of Fai's fingers wipe something wet away from her cheek before cupping her face again._

"_You're strong." He told her gently, "despite everything that has happened to you, despite all you have been put through. Despite it all, you're strong Masooma, really strong." He kissed her again, tenderly, almost cautiously as though afraid she might break at the slightest bit of pressure. "You may believe it to be the case but believe me when I say this, you haven't broken yet. You're a persistent witch, Masooma." Slowly, she opened her eyes to see the earnest look on his face, "You always manage to pull yourself together when the time calls for it and that is what I admire about you so much. You never, ever give up and I love you for that."_

_Masooma was the one that initiated the next kiss as she desperately hung on to him, parting her lips as her fingers dug through the material of his thin shirt. The blond responded immediately as his arm wrapped possessively around her waist, pulling her close to him. Several minutes later, the two parted gasping for breath._

"_Don't…" she pleaded, her amber-eyes desperately searching his azure-eyed gaze, "please, don't leave me again. I don't want to be alone." She knew it had been her that had done the leaving the last time but that had not been of her own free will. So to her, it had been Fai that had gone away and not the other way around._

"_Ssh… Ssh…" he hushed, pulling her close in a crushing hug that she welcomed, "I promise. I won't ever leave you again. You won't have to go through anything alone again. I promise… God, I have missed you so much."_

"_Please Fai, I-" her words were cut off by another kiss from the blond as he poured his heart into the action in hopes of assuaging her fears. She responded in like, feeling his aura caress hers cautiously, the warmth and familiarity of the blonde's magic soothing her somewhat._

"_Everything will be alright." He whispered as his fingers traced light patterns over her bare stomach though they did not move any further when she tensed at his touch. The scars she had received from _that_ time were not visible to the naked eye but the small bumps caused by the skin scabbing and healing over the stab wounds still could be felt. Ashamed, she turned her head away, her grip loosening on him as she made to leave._

_Fai tightened his hold on her again, refusing to let go off her, even as her body shuddered to fight of the memories of another time when she had been struggling against a force that refused to let her go. The palm of his hand settled on top of her scarred stomach and she whimpered in agony._

"_This, right here, this is the proof of your strength, Masooma." The blond murmured as his thumb gently rubbed against the scarred tissue. "I won't ever willingly leave you alone, you know that, right? And nothing short of death will be able to keep me away for long even if I were to leave your side for a while." She couldn't recall how exactly but they had ended up kissing again, things advancing quite a bit from there on but fortunately or unfortunately, before something could have happened, they had been stumbled upon by Syaoran. The brunette's face had taken on the color of a tomato as he had realized just what exactly he had walked in on and had apologized profusely as he refused to meet their eyes, Masooma felt an embarrassed blush rising up her own tear-stained cheeks as she looked at the boy. Fai however had only grinned cheekily at the boy before bidding him a goodnight as he had proceeded to lead Masooma away from the corridor._

A prickling sensation down her spine brought her out of her memories as she became aware of her surroundings. The forest was still as quiet and still as before but she could almost feel the wrongness of it all. Something was amiss. She cursed softly under her breath as she climbed to her feet, warily examining her surroundings. She stilled upon hearing the barely audible snap of a twig. Letting her hold on her magic slip a little, she felt it hum in anticipation beneath her skin as she narrowed her bloodshot eyes and looked around. She heard the sharp whistle of something metallic shoot through the air in her direction but she managed to erect a translucent crimson dome around her to protect herself from the barrage that came next.

-0-

"Captain Neumro," the Oracle called out as he raced into the living quarters of squad one. "A quick word please." He turned around without even waiting for a reply as he hurried outside, knowing that the captain would follow without a word.

"I need you to pick four of your best men. I will be transporting you to the western edge of the forest." He informed the man in a controlled tone but an edge of anxiety had crept into his tone. "Healer Masooma has been cornered by a group of hunters. Do whatever you have to but make sure she gets back here safely."

"Sir!" the Captain saluted before swiftly making his way back to the quarters. Three minutes later, the group of five men, armed and ready to head out stood before the Oracle.

"It is of utmost importance that she gets back safely but do not let the hunters capture any of you." He said, feeling anxiety grip hold of his heart as Masooma's fate, should she end up getting captured again, began unfolding before his sightless eyes, "I need not remind you of the rules that are in place for the ones that are captured. Good luck." And then with the swish of his hands and a flicker of his aura the group of men departed.

He barely even felt his magic lash out at his surroundings as he paced around his room feeling restless and helpless. Things had just taken a turn for the worst again. And he was not even able to leave the city to help protect the one he cared for. Not for the first time, he cursed the damn Shaman to the deepest pits of hell for pulling him into this mess.

-0-

"I never thought I'd end up running into you again." A lazy voice drawled as a dark –skinned man stepped out of the cover of the trees and into her line of sight. A single golden fang hung from his left ear, glinting in the weak sunlight of the winter sun.

"B-Bauld…" her careful hold over her magic began to slip, the crimson dome beginning to fluctuate erratically with the change in its caster's emotions.

"I'm so glad you remember me, Witch." The man grinned ferally as he brought up the small handgun he had lazily hanging from his right hand. "I hear you're one of the guardians now. We're going to have so much fun together." He took aim at her heart just as her erected shield began to falter. "Or perhaps this time, _Fai_ can join in on the fun."

"No!"

The single gunshot could be heard for miles.

-0-

_**A/N: Touya is definitely not happy with what Syaoran almost made Sakura do. But he still left him alive. Can anyone guess what Sakura will be like now? I left you all hanging on a cliffie but I might update once more before my Eid holidays start next week. Keep your fingers crossed. ;) ;) **_


	25. Brave

_**A/N: Another unbeta'd chapter but it's still the promised update. And for once, it doesn't end in a cliffie that makes you wanna kill me. (sorta) **_

_**Enjoy!**_

Fai didn't really find it hard to act scared of the woman before him. His body instinctively recoiled from her cold fingered touch and whimpers automatically formed in his throat when she looked his way. He was confused why it was happening but seeing the relieved look on Syaoran's face, he knew he was getting the act right at the very least.

"Have you had time to think about my question, Fai?" the silver-haired woman whispered in a rather seductive tone as she leaned closer to him.

"I-I…" the blond stuttered, his thoughts racing. _What question? _

"Pity," she said coldly as she struck him hard, a feeble cry erupting from his lips as he hit the floor with a thud, his cheek stinging from where her hand had hit him. Something warm slid down the side of his face and his heightened sense of smell picked it up as the scent of his own blood. Her long nails had probably raked his face when she had slapped him. Struggling to sit up again, he pushed his body on feeble, shaky arms as black dotted his vision for a fraction of a second. Why did he feel so weak? "I had hoped I'd have spared you from further pain for now."

His arms gave out under him, his body hitting the grimy floor with a thud that sent waves of pain from the point of impact to the rest of his body. His mind completely blanked out for a while but he regained his senses, he could see the woman's face peering down on him as she nudged his side with the pointed toe of her high-heeled shoes. "I'll ask one last time, tell me, where is the essence hidden?" The way her dark eyes glittered with malice as she stared down at him made Fai want to do nothing more than spit the blood currently pooling inside his mouth and tell her to fuck off but somehow, the part of him that was trained to be afraid of this woman before him made him shrink back in fear as a soft 'I don't know' left his mouth.

"So stubborn," the woman tutted in mock regret as she made to turn away from him but instead of leaving the room, she kicked him in the gut. Hard. "Now don't get any funny ideas. I'll be right back." With that, she sashayed out of his cell.

Coughing, Fai struggled to push his body into a sitting position but apparently all the energy that the rush of adrenaline had lent him upon discovering what Syaoran had tried to do to him had left him. When his arms refused to support the weight of his body for the fifth time, he just left them slump to the ground as he lay partially face-down on the floor.

_Fai-san?_ He felt the apparition move closer to him, the teen's spirit-like body barely making any sounds as he appeared the blonde's line of vision. The boy's amber-eyes were filled with concern as he peered down at him but Fai could not bring himself to care for the gesture as he glared at the brunette through narrowed eyes.

"Explain everything," he hissed, his tone demanding and unyielding despite his currently pathetic state, "Now."

And explain everything the brunette did.

-0-

"You've learnt some new tricks, haven't you bitch?" Bauld growled dangerously as he clutched at his bleeding shoulder with his free hand while the gun was uselessly grasped in the hand of his injured arm.

"I'm _not_ a weakling." She spat venomously, anger overtaking the fear in her tone as she glared at the hunter, "and I'll be damned if I'll let you bastards capture me again."

"I'll make you eat your words once we're back in Metropolis," The hunter took a menacing step forward and Masooma instinctively drew a step away. Seeing this, the leering grin on the hunter's face widened. "I can see the fear in your eyes bitch. I can smell it on you. You're still afraid of me guardian."

"N-No… I'm not scared." She drew in a deep breath before drawing herself to her full height. She was still a head and a half shorter than the man but despite his towering stature, she did not allow herself to cower before him. She stared at him with defiance shining in her amber eyes. Next to Fai and Nixon, Masooma was one of the fastest spell-casters in all of Celes. She _had_ been his apprentice after all, so she could very easily use a transportation spell to get her back to the safety of Magihidusi before any of the hunters could actually break through her conjured shield. But she knew she'd never be able to get back some of the confidence she had lost when she had been held captive and then tortured and raped by the leering man before her if she did not see this confrontation through till the end.

"If you're not now," Bauld took another step in her direction although this time Masooma forced herself to stand her ground, "you will be soon enough."

And with that he lunged towards her, the silver metal bracelets glinting in the dull sunlight as his hands touched the shield and she felt the magic falter and begin to give.

"No." she gasped, immediately knowing that the metal that formed the braces around his wrists was no ordinary one. They were made from Cerelium, the only material that held the power to nullify most forms of magic.

A glowing brown arrow whizzed through the air and landed where Bauld had been a fraction of a second before. The dry grass crackled and hissed as the magic started breaking it down.

"Healer Masooma!" she heard Captain Neumro call out her name just as five dark forms dropped around her in protective crouches. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine." She answered, sounding rather stiff and cold even to her own ears. "The hunters are armed with Cerelium." She continued, both meaning to warn them as well as explain to them the reason as to why she had been frozen in her spot, appearing defenseless.

"Not to worry." At his almost imperceptible signal, the remainder of the guard drew their weapons and charged towards the party of hunters, while the captain stayed with Masooma. She had little reason to doubt that the men were there due to Nixon.

"_Take care of yourself? Just like you did back in Metropolis? I could see how wonderfully you had accomplished that when I found your bleeding body back in that cell…"_ his words from earlier made her clench her fists in rage. How dare he? How dare he still treat her like such a weakling?

"Neumro," she addressed the captain, just as she cast a spell she had not cast since the first time she had arrived in this world, "you are free to leave my side and join the fight." A silver staff, tipped with a large crimson jewel, materialized in the air before her. "I have a score to settle with someone." And then without waiting for a response from the captain she rushed at the hunter that had ruined her life.

-0-

The next morning, they found the kid lying unmoving in his bed, staring listlessly at the ceiling, failing to once again respond to anyone touch or voice. Had it not been for the slow rise and fall of his chest, he could have easily been mistaken for a corpse.

"Kurogane-san," The princess addressed him as she silently entered the Infirmary and walked over to him. The ninja noticed her gaze stray in the kid's direction once but he saw her take a deep breath and her eyes harden in determination. "I have discussed Syaoran's condition with Yukito-san and we both agree that…" she drew in another breath, "it won't worsen his condition any further if we were to change worlds tonight. As you can already see, he has regressed into himself once again and as much as I wish he would trust us enough to actually understand that we're only trying to help him… I think you can already tell he won't take kindly to us moving him from here."

"Are you sure you want to bring him along with us?" he asked, not missing how the girl's tone had taken on a professional and detached air. He had to bit his tongue briefly to keep himself from commenting on this. She was still hurting but she had found a way to deal with the pain for now. "The High Priest could care for him until we return here with the Mage. It would still fulfill the terms of our price."

"I know," she nodded, "but Nixon-san insisted that we bring him to Magihidusi. He says there is someone there that can help him more than Yukito-san. I just want him to get better again."

Kurogane had a vague idea as to who that someone might be but he decided not to voice his thoughts out loud for now. "I see."

"… Do you… Do you think Fai-san would end up like Syaoran?"

"The bastard is stubborn." Was all that he said, his gaze landing on the boy's unresponsive form. The mage might have been stubborn in his own way but then again, so had been the kid. But those hunters had managed to reduce him to this empty shell. Who was to say that…

"I hope he's fine." She said softly as her right hand started to reach for the kid's head but she stopped halfway through. "I… I have to go check on a few things before we leave. I'll see you in the evening Kurogane-san. Please keep an eye on him and alert me if anything happens." It did not take a genius to see through her flimsy excuse but the ninja let her go.

"You better take good care of her," he heard the young king say as he strode up to him only a few minutes later, "… and the brat as well."

"So you've decided not to stop her?"

"Nothing in the world can stop that little monster when she sets her mind to it." he sighed in response. "She'll never forgive me if I keep her here against her will. I can see that she cares about your companion just as much as she cares for the brat… but then again, being the compassionate girl that she is…" he trailed off.

"It's hard for her not to care." Kurogane decided to complete for the king. "The princess said she has been receiving training from you."

"She's come a long way." He replied, "I'd love to see her kick the brat's ass."

"If she is indeed as good as you have claimed, then you should not worry about her. I'll be right with her."

"The brat got himself captured, didn't he?"

Kurogane chose not to respond. After all, the man did not know of the circumstances surrounding the kid's capture but he was in no mood to actually explain it all to him. The king could keep on thinking whatever he wanted.

"Just…" he could feel the other man's gaze on him so Kurogane turned his head to meet the king's eye, "don't let her get hurt."

As those words escaped the king's lips, Kurogane could see the thoughts racing through the man's head and the emotions raging inside his eyes. He was truly worried for his sister, terrified that she might get hurt and angry that he could not go with her.

"I won't." The ninja promised and he saw the other man relax a fraction of an inch. With a curt nod, Touya turned around and left the red-eyed man alone with the unmoving kid.

"I know you've heard this countless times before kid," Kurogane sighed as he looked at the copy of his student, "but the princess wasn't the one that hurt you. And… neither was I."

-0-

"So then why is it that I can tell who she is now?" Fai demanded quietly, "Why don't I still see as Masooma?"

"_I'm not sure but I think it has something to do with your vampire half."_ The apparition replied thoughtfully, "_it's almost like whatever they've been giving you, get nullified when your vampire half takes over."_

"I see… Syaoran-kun?"

"_Hai, Fai-san?"_

"I hope Tsubasa-kun is okay."

"_Me too."_ The spirit admitted softly, "_what are you going to do now? The Oracle said that the others will come to rescue you soon but… what will you do until then? Can you pretend to not know anything until they get here?"_

"If you had asked me that question while we were still travelling, Syaoran-kun, I might have said yes." Fai replied, "But just knowing what the hunters have been doing to me till now, wearing my best friends' faces while they hurt me… I don't think I can pretend anymore. No. I _can_ pretend but I won't. I'm going to give them one hell of a time now."

"_You do realize that it might get you killed."_

"They think I have something they want. I don't think they'd be eager to get rid of me so quickly. And if nothing else, I can bet the hunters would be interested in knowing how I can resist their drug."

"_But defying them will only make things harder for you. They'll hurt you more."_

"They'll hurt me regardless of that fact." The blond responded lightly, as though speaking about his own torture at the hands of his captors was no big deal, "I just don't want to give them the satisfaction of knowing that they have broken me."

"…"

"Say, Syaoran-kun?"

"_Hai?"_

"You wouldn't happen to have a bit of Kurgy's blood on you, would you?"

At the incredulous and slightly freaked out look the brunette shot him, the blond erupted into soft chuckles. "Sorry, it's just that, my vampire half needs to the blood of its prey to regain some of the strength it's lost in trying to heal me. It's been ages since I actually needed his blood this badly before."

Before the spirit could respond though, the loud clack of heels against the cold stone floor echoed in the hallway outside. There were sounds of other, heavy and big feet, added to the noise letting the magician-vampire hybrid know that the woman was back. And she had brought company. His blue-eyed gaze slipped towards Syaoran for a fraction of a second and he could tell that the spirit looked panicked.

"I'll be fine." He reassured his companion in a quiet voice just as the door to his cell was opened with a loud squeal.

"Bring him." He heard the silver-haired woman order in a cold voice. He was roughly grabbed by his arms and hair, dragged across the length of the cell to the door, a cry of pain escaping his lips as the skin on his bare, damaged back began to bleed. The woman said nothing as she began leading the small procession down the narrow, corridors. Despite the amount of pain he was in from being dragged on the dirty floor by his hair and wrists, Fai still noticed the beams of Cerelium lining the roof of the hallways. The metal was probably the reason why his magic was inaccessible to him. Part of it might have been the drug's fault as well, but more or less, the metal lining the roof was the reason why he could not just escape right then. He was dragged into what appeared to be a torture chamber. Not that the rest of this place was any different but the sight of so many devices created for the sole purpose breaking their victims made the magician seethe in anger though there was a bit of fear too. What was going to come next would be no doubt painful for him. But then again, he doubted he'd ever experience more pain than he had when he had been transformed into a vampire against his will in a rather ironic way to save his life. This room however was not to be his destination as he was just brought to a smaller side-room. He was harshly pulled to his unsteady feet and brought to what appeared to be a pit in the floor. Above it, a metal frame rested horizontal to the ground with metal cuffs set in it near the head and the foot area, no doubt to keep the victim in place.

Seeing the look on Fai's face, the woman's smile grew.

"Still sure you don't know where it is, Fai? I can spare you this pain if only you tell me where it is."

"Even if I knew where it was," Fai hissed, his eyes flashing as his vampire half started to take over, "I'd never tell a bitch like you."

"So it seems you've grown immune to the drug," the woman said as she quickly overcame her shock at seeing his wilder-side. "You're quite unlike the other freaks you know." She told him conversationally as she sidled up behind him. Her cold hands roamed all over his chest and back as he felt the grip of the two brutes holding him tighten. He hissed as her nails scraped the various cuts and wounds marring his torso, tearing open the scabbing wounds to make them bleed anew. "But I like different." She whispered in his right ear. "It's _such_ a refreshing change from our usual routine." He stiffened as her roaming hands reached the waistband of his tattered jeans that now barely hung of his emaciated frame. "And it doesn't hurt that despite all your injuries, you're rather attractive."

"Get away from me." He growled dangerously, hitting her with the back of his head just as she undid the button.

"Why you!" she spat angrily as a punch connected with the side of his head. "… should be grateful." Whatever else she had said never really made it to his brain since the punch had caused him to black out for a short while. Something cold traced a random pattern on his back, leaving a stinging sensation in its wake, stopping only once it had reached his hip. Before he could even process what was happening, he heard a loud ripping sound as the last piece of clothing that he had been wearing was torn from his body.

"You won't be needing that rag from now on." She informed him coldly as she stepped around the men holding him and stepped into his line of view. He only glared at her as the woman gave him an appreciative once over before she leered at him rather vulgarly. "Did you know the room next to this is where Bauld enjoyed your virgin little girlfriend for the first time?" She stepped closer to him, her breath almost burning against his chilled skin, "I'm almost tempted to do the same to you right about now." She whispered breathily before kissing him rather forcefully. Fai felt disgusted with the way the woman pressed against him but he bid his time, chomping down hard the minute her tongue slipped into his mouth. The taste of blood filled his mouth as she drew away with a startled cry. Not giving her a chance to recover, he spat the blood on her face, watching in grim satisfaction as he noticed the way she seemed to bristle in anger. From the look on her face, no prisoner had ever defied her like this, especially in front of her minions. Knowing that his next word might just seal his fate, Fai let a deranged grin form on his bloody lips, narrowing his eyes to let his hatred show. "Fuck you."

"You'll regret doing that mage." She snarled in rage as her hand connected sharply with his cheek. "Do you think smart-mouthing me will make me put you out of your misery sooner?" she grabbed his hair, pulling it back until he was forced to look at the cerelium lined ceiling of the chamber. He felt her cold dagger press against his jugular, drawing a thin trickle of blood. "Huh, is that what you think?" she demanded, pulling his head back even further, many hair parting from his scalp from the force, "well if that's what you think, think again." She hissed in his ear, roughly nibbling on the flesh of his ear lobe, "I'm going to make sure you experience pain like you have never before, for a long, long time before I rid this world of you for good." She let go of his hair as she stepped away from him. "Tie him to the rack." She ordered as she walked out of his line of sight. Fai struggled to make them let go but to no avail as only moments later, he found himself strapped to the metal frame, with his arms shackled above his head. He heard a hiss below him before the air below him began to grow warm.

"Your girlfriend never did get to enjoy this particular contraption of ours." She leaned over him, her long hair brushing his torso like silky threads of molten ice, "Bauld had a hard time leaving her alone you see. But enough about that bitch," she added haughtily, "I'm sure you're dying to know what we'll do to you now."

"Oh yes, I can barely contain myself." He responded acidly, his blood boiling at the thought of Masooma having suffered so close to the place where he was.

"You'll find the meaning of the word 'hot'." The woman grinned as the air around him began to grow uncomfortably hot.

_**A/N: So it seems like Touya's actions sent Syaoran back into his unresponsive state. Sakura seems to be doing somewhat better though. Masooma is about to kick some ass. ;) Touya has allowed Sakura to go with Kurogane even if he hasn't told her that yet. And lastly, things are getting interesting for Fai. I wonder what you guys think will happen to him.**_

_**Oh and I'd love it if you guys could check out my Halloween one-shots. They're my first attempt at horror and I want some feedback on whether it'd be a good idea for me to try my hand at that genre again or not. One's called 'Eternally Damned' and the other is called 'Mist'. Mist is rated M because I'm somewhat paranoid and the descriptions that I've used there are rather graphic. ^_^; And Eternally Damned is actually the first part of what I plan to be a series of one-shots. (If I ever get around to completing them)**_

_**So until next time. **_


	26. But I'm not ready to lose you

_**A/N: This is actually a reply to Starshine, since they had some complaints regarding this fic. I'm actually glad they took out enough time to point out what they found wrong with this fic and even though they said they couldn't stand reading it anymore, on the slight off-chance that they might, I figured I'd just address a few of the points they raised. There's gonna be explanations for why I made the main characters act the way they did and what this story is all about. **_

_**First off, this is actually a torture-fic more than anything else but since they don't have that listed in the genres, I had to go with the second best option that was Angst. But I'm gonna put up the warning in my summary all the same. ^_^;**_

_**I actually went back and reread the chapters to see if Sakura and Kurogane did anything to distress him after they discovered the cause of his trauma. The only times Kuro pinned Syaoran were before Sakura went through Syaoran's memories so they actually didn't know that restraining him would cause him more distress. Once they found out, Sakura and Kurogane were quite careful about their actions around him. The reason why I didn't have Yukito or a castle maid take care of Syaoran was because a) a maid looking after him would be rather impersonal and b) Sakura wanted to show him through her actions that it wasn't them that did those things to him. It's another thing he didn't trust their word but they didn't do anything to agitate him further. It was supposed to be a part of his mental healing and Sakura wasn't actually aware of his paranoia since he never let it show. They were only trying to earn back his trust. Touya is the king in this fic so he doesn't really have enough time to devote to taking care of Syaoran. They weren't being stupid by doing what they did, they just didn't realize that their attempts at helping him might have such consequences as Syaoran jumping out of the window.**_

_**Syaoran (the Clone/Papa Syaoran) is indeed quite intelligent and I agree that he would make a great detective. This was actually going to be revealed a little later but I guess telling it now won't make that much of a difference. The way I see it, the clones ended up inside their originals as memories and were thus dormant inside their respective Tsubasa's body. In other words they don't have any awareness of their surroundings. For certain reasons, staying in this world caused Syaoran's spirit to slowly awaken inside Tsubasa. Though it happened a couple of weeks after Tsubasa was captured. By then, the drugs the hunters had been giving him had managed to greatly mess with Tsubasa's head, making him believe that it was his companions that were hurting him. Obviously Syaoran did notice that something was amiss when he first woke up inside Tsubasa and saw that the princess was torturing him. But due to the bond that he shares with Tsubasa, his own opinions were influenced by the drug since he only sees and hears what Tsubasa sees and hears. The drug is designed to make the receiver mistrust and become afraid of the person he sees as his tormentor. His concern for Tsubasa actually overrode the cool analytical mind that he possesses so he missed some of the obvious hints as time wore by. So yeah, he failed to solve the mystery.**_

_**As for Fai, I'd say it's all about how you see that guy. I agree, Fai is quite cunning and usually tries to influence and change the situation to his advantage but I like to think of him having a bit of a defiant streak as well. Having spent so much time in Kuro's company would influence him enough to actually stand for what he believes is right. Besides, he knew there was no getting out of that situation, so he decided to do something about it as he went down. (if that made any sense. ^_^; )**_

_**I'm sorry if the genre was a bit misleading, but this is first and foremost a torture-fic. Angst isn't the main focus in this story so yeah… a lot more torture than development of the plot. But thanks for the advice all the same. I'll keep that in mind in the future. ;)**_

_**I hope the above explanation would have explained any questions the rest of the readers might have had about the story. If not, feel free to ask guys. I don't really bite and I know how to take criticism. The only thing I can't stand is when someone gets personal and outright insults me. Otherwise, I'm totally cool with anything you might have to say about the stuff I write. ;) ;)**_

_**I think I should shut up and let you guys enjoy the actual story now. Have a fun read ~**_

Masooma blocked another attack with her staff before retaliating, feeling the blood flow down her left side. The wound bled due to her constant movement but thankfully it was a shallow wound. No organs had been ruptured so she let herself not care about the injury. It was a given that no magician ever came out unscathed from an encounter with a hunter. She allowed herself a grin at the disturbed look on Bauld's face. Clearly, the hunter had been expecting her to cower in fright before him instead of retaliating as fiercely as she had. Especially after all that he had put her through. The only reason why she was doing the latter instead of the former was because she had pushed everything to the back of her mind, knowing that if she were to dwell on those thoughts at that time, she'd never be able to get away.

"You seem worried Bauld." She sneered as the hunter ducked out of the way of her attack, "Afraid I might actually win?"

The hunter's lack of response only caused her grin to widen. She was not going to let him get away. Back at Metropolis, she had been heavily drugged and restrained, helpless to defend herself in any way or form. But out here… out here she could dish out hell and then some. She had been the apprentice of the Celesian High mage for a reason. Even if healing had been the main branch she had focused her attention on, her combat abilities were no laughing matter. She had been a part of the court's elite battle mages. Swinging the staff around her in a tight circle, she wove her magic through the air in small concentric circles. The air began to hum with the offensive magic, held at bay by its caster until the right moment to unleash it in a terrifying blast when the right moment arrived. She swirled out of the way, weaving an elaborate trap as she darted right and left, physically exchanging blows with the dark-skinned hunter.

"I'm nothing like the weakling you thought me to be, Bauld." She hissed, pinning the hunter to the ground with her left leg as she rested the tip of her staff above his jugular.

"Tell me," the hunter drawled in response, not even caring that just a single twitch of her arms would end his life, "is defiance inherent to you magical scum? You're boyfriend has been proving to be quite a thorn in our side for a while now. It's nothing that can't be fixed though." He added nonchalantly.

"Shut up!" she snarled, hurtling a spell at the man below her, watching in vicious satisfaction as the magic began tearing the flesh of his face to tiny shreds. The man cried in agony as blood blossomed out on his face. Knowing she had gotten all the hunters in the just the places she wanted, she began letting go of the control she had on her spell-trap. She was going to send a message to Metropolis through the slaughter of this little band of hunters. At that moment, she did not care that actively killing the hunters outside the limits of Magihidusi would be a breach of her guardian contract. All she cared at the time, was hurting the bastards in any way she could. Before she could fully activate her spell though, she felt the familiar tendrils of Nixon's magic wrap around her body and the five men aiding her as the Oracle's summoning spell came into effect. Her offensive magic dissipated into thin air behind them as the group was whisked away from the forest and into the Oracle's living chambers. Growling angrily, she rounded on the Oracle but remembered to shut herself up in front of the First Guard that was standing there with her. At a nod from the blind man, the sheathed their weapons and stood at ease, though Masooma only tightened her grip on the slightly bloodied staff.

"I understand that it was at a great personal risk to you all but you succeeded in protecting Healer Masooma." Nixon nodded at the men, "For that, I thank you all. Please see the healers at the infirmary for your injuries. You have done a fine job today. Captain, have the Second Guard take up the patrol. " Nodding at each of them in turn, he added, "you are all excused for the rest of the day." Masooma bit the inside of her cheek to keep herself from speaking as the men bade her goodbye and left. As soon as they were out the door, she turned away from the blind Oracle, knowing that any words that came out of her lips would only be something she'd regret later on.

"Masooma," Nixon started as he took a step in her direction. Gritting her teeth in an attempt to reign in her anger, she stepped away, staying well out of range. She did not want him to touch her just then.

"Masooma…" he called out again. The sound of his voice cracked the fragile barrier of her restraint, causing her to round on man with an angry snarl.

"I guess word weren't enough for you." She spat, narrowing her eyes as she looked at his face, hatefully schooled into a calm expression. "The great Oracle actually had to go so far as to interrupt the fight because he needed to impress upon the world his superiority. I bet you were disappointed to find out I didn't need your help after all." she scoffed, growing angrier the longer she watched his face. Unknown to her, her magic began crackling and hissing in the air around her, the tip of the bejeweled staff in her hand glowing softly as magic began to gather in the stone, "Is that why you summoned us back? You couldn't bear the thought of someone else besting the hunters in your mighty stead, could you, oh _great one."_ She mocked.

"Masooma, will you please listen to me?"

_How could that bastard be so calm?_

"Why should I listen to the likes of you?" she growled, ignoring the flash of pain that crossed his feature as she said those words. "You probably saw how I beat the shit out of those hunters thanks to your all seeing eye. But you couldn't have me upstaging you, could you? That'd have gone against the whole 'most powerful guardian in history' image that you've got going for yourself. People would have stopped coming to you for advice if that ever happened. Well I've got a bit of news for Nixon," she hissed, stepping close to the man until they were inches apart, "I. Don't. Need. You." she had expected a lot of things that would happen in response to her declaration but what actually did happen was something she had never thought of in even her wildest dreams. Her body went rigid and her eyes widened in shock when a warm pair of lips collided with her mouth. Her staff clattered uselessly to the ground as she let go of her weapon, frozen in place in disbelief. The kiss did not last for long but Masooma found it difficult to draw another breath as Nixon stepped away from her, refusing to meet her gaze, even though he was blind.

"I did see the outcome of the battle," Nixon admitted, his voice pained, "You killed all those hunters, effectively breaching the Guardian Pact. As a result, the shaman claimed your life" he said softly, picking up her fallen weapon and placing it in her hand. His fingers lingered for a short time as he added almost regretfully, "I know you don't need me anymore, Masooma… But I need _you._ I might never be able to have you but I'm not ready to lose you just yet." Letting his words hang in the air, he retreated, leaving her alone in his room. Breathing hard, Masooma collapsed in a limbless heap on the floor for the second time that day, the staff clattering noisily against the stone.

-0-

He tried not to let his discomfort show on his face as the air kept on growing hotter, glaring at the woman coldly as he pressed his lips into a thin line. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Syaoran staring at him in mortification. Whatever the source of this unbearable heat below him was, Fai was sure would hurt like hell very, very soon.

"I'll give you one last chance, Fai," her words came out soft, almost comforting as her fingers lightly traced his cheek, "Where is the essence hidden?"

"Fuck off." He spat, snapping his sharp canines at her fingers but she managed to withdraw her hand before he could inflict some damage.

Her slap echoed in the room as his head was thrust to his side. Wordlessly, she motioned for one of her following goons to begin and Fai felt the frame lower towards the ground. From the fearful look on Syaoran's face he could tell that whatever came next would be unpleasant to say the least. He bit his lip to keep the cry from escaping his mouth as a sudden burning sensation assaulted his back. He could smell the scent of blood in the air mixed with that of burnt flesh and hair as the various sized balls of fire pressing into his back began to work their charm. The cry had been holding back finally escaped his lips as the woman hit his naked chest with a rather thick steel rod. He struggled to draw a breath as the frame was pushed further into the glowing coals beneath him. Although he had not seen them with his eyes but he was pretty sure it could not have been anything else that was currently roasting him alive. He tried to arch his back to get away from the heat beneath him but the strap around his waist kept him in place. He gasped raggedly as the frame was raised and he was relieved from his torture momentarily. Though he had no doubts this was merely the beginning.

"Where is it?" the woman demanded venomously as she leered above him. Tears of pain prickled his eyes but he refused to speak another word, resorting instead to glare at her mutinously.

His cries echoed around the chamber as he was lowered back into the coals once more. The third time this was repeated, his sense began to leave him as his body's tolerance for pain reached its limit. Thankfully however, his tormentors were interrupted by the arrival of a dark-skinned man with no hair on his head. The man spoke in low tones with the woman as Fai struggled to not let the pain overwhelm him. Their conversation done with, the woman motioned for her cronies and Fai was unceremoniously taken off of the frame and dragged to a very small chamber adjoined to the one he had been burnt in and dumped there, thankfully, facedown. The door had been slammed shut behind him the sound of talking and boots receding until he was left alone in silence and darkness.

The blond did not even struggle to try and move into an upright position as he knew he certainly did not have the energy left inside of him. His mouth felt dry and sandpaper scraped the insides of his throats as he tried to breath in rapid, shallow breaths. His chest hurt too much for him to draw in deeper breaths and with the faint feeling that threatened to take hold of him and take him into the dark arms of oblivion, he thought better than to try and go against what his body did on its own. He felt cold all over, his body moist with sweat, the wounds on his back had all been cauterized so no blood would flow from them but he knew for a fact that ugly, watery blisters covered the entirety of his back. He could hear someone call out his name in the distance but at the moment he was unable to identify whoever it was. His head throbbed in time with his pulse, the world spinning in circles around him.

-0-

Syaoran bit his lip worriedly as he crouched next to the barely conscious wizard.

"_Fai-san?"_ he tried in vain to get the man to respond, as he had been doing for ever since those goons had thrown the blond in here and left. Syaoran could not believe what he had witnessed in that room. That woman… she was a monster. Her cronies equally so. What they had done to the magician. Not even animals deserved this type of treatment. The sight of his back once they had pulled him off the frame had been enough to make him want to empty his guts right then and there. Ugly black burns marred the entirety of the blonde's pale skin, oozing a clear sort of liquid in some places, brownish patches where the blood had dried off due to the heat turning it all into a gruesome and horrifying sight to look at.

"_Fai-san,"_ he called again, noticing how shallow the magician's breaths seemed to be, his eyes were glazed over, staring into nothingness as he put forth all his efforts into trying to inhale and exhale. The spirit clenched his fists by his sides. He had done nothing to help the older man. Not one fucking thing! But then again… He was merely an apparition, without a body, there wasn't much he could do to help him. He could have tried crushing their hearts like he had tried to do so with Fai when he had first been sent here but somehow, something had stopped him from going through with that plan. If the hunters thought it was some part of Fai's magic that was doing that to them… there was no telling what they'd do to the blond. Not that what they had just done to him was anything good but still. _"Fai-san, can you hear me?"_

Heaving a hopeless sigh at the lack of response from the older man, he slumped to the floor next to him. They starved and dehydrated him. And now they had burnt his back and legs. How much longer would the magician be able to survive? Even Tsubasa had been rescued before things had come to this. Or had Fai's stubbornness to not let the hunters know he was still afraid of them brought this down upon the vampire-magician hybrid? Whatever the cause, he could only pray that the others got there soon. From the looks of things, the blond wouldn't make it to the end of another week in this place.

_**A/N: Who saw that coming? The original fight scene was quite short but due to everyone wanting to see Masooma kick Bauld's ass, I went back and rewrote to include the epic fight. I hope you guys enjoyed it. Leave a review and tell me how you think things might go between Masooma and Nixon now. And what do you think would Fai have to say about that? If he survives until the gang arrives that is. ;) ;)**_


	27. Back once more

_**A/N: And the chapter you have all been waiting for is finally here. I figured since it's my birthday today, I'd treat you all to an early update. ;) Enjoy!**_

Sakura snuck into the infirmary, carefully taking note that neither Kurogane nor Mokona were with the catatonic Tsubasa. Pushing the feeling of sorrow away she took squared her shoulders and walked over to his bed. She wasn't sure what had happened but he had slipped back into his unresponsive state. She looked over her shoulder to confirm that she would have privacy for a while. Kurogane was off making the final minute preparations for their departure in half an hour's time. Mokona was with Yukito, the latter creating a protective seal around the magical creature to better protect it from the affects of whatever it was that had rendered the dimension hopper comatose before. Her only concern was Touya. If he saw her alone with Tsubasa, she shuddered to think how he might react. Though she had been adamant about leaving with Kurogane, Mokona and Tsubasa when the time came, her brother had yet to give her his permission. She would have left despite his protests, but it would have been better to know that she had his blessings instead.

She did not know what had made her come in here again when the sight of Tsubasa's broken body and his hollow eyes did nothing more than shove the painful thorns of helplessness deeper into her heart. Pulling up a chair, she sat next to his bed, the scabbards of her dual short swords clinking lightly against the metal of the chair.

"We'll be leaving to rescue Fai-san very soon." She told him softly as she took his hand in her own, her thumb rubbing gentle circles over his knuckles as her other hand brushed the hair from his eyes. Not that she had expected anything different but it still hurt to see him not even blink in response to her words. "Kurogane-san thought it might be better if you stayed behind here at Clow where Yukito-san can try and heal you. I agreed with him for a while but Nixon-san wants you to come with us. He says there is someone in that world that would be more adept at helping you."

"I've been learning how to fight from Onii-san. I never got around to telling you that, did I?" her eyes drank in the sight of him, the way the sunlight made his hair turn a light brown, the way the light being reflected off his irises at an angle lent them a sparkle of life that was otherwise missing from his once intelligent and kind gaze. "He thinks I have gotten really good so I'm going to help Kurogane-san when he goes to help Fai-san. I wish you were well enough to come with us too. I had been really looking forward to showing you all that I had learnt you know. I know you haven't seen me, but do you think I'd be able to help them?"

"You know Syaoran… I've always tried to forgive people even if they are wrong. Everyone thinks that's because I'm too kind-hearted to be able to actually hold a grudge against anyone. Until a few ago, I believe that too… But now I-"

"Sakura!" the sound of her brother caused her to jump, hastily dropping her hands she climbed to her feet and turned around to face him as he angrily stalked over to her, "What the heck are you doing in here?"

"I was just checking on Syaoran."

For a moment, Sakura's heart stopped beating as her brother's glowering eyes settled on the unmoving teen in the bed behind her but the moment passed and something in her brother's gaze changed. "… So the brat is leaving with you three?"

Sakura felt her jaw drop in shock as she stared at her brother speechlessly.

"I'd close my mouth if I were you Kaijuu, or are you trying to catch flies?" he grinned softly as he ruffled her hair.

"Onii-san… I-I… I'm not a Kaijuu!" she declared after stomping on his foot angrily.

"Ouch! What the heck Sakura! I thought you'd be happy to learn that you can go with that ninja and you thank me by stomping on my foot?"

"That wasn't my thank you Onii-san," she replied with a cheery smile as she threw her arms around his waist and buried her face into his chest, "This is my thanks."

"You better come back in one piece, you hear me Kaijuu?" he murmured as he hugged her back, his lips pressed in her hair, "and while you're saving that mage, kick those hunters' ass for the brat, will you?"

Sakura only tightened her grip on her brother in response. The young king looked at the motionless brunette a few feet away from them over the top of his sister's head and he thought he saw the boy's eyes flutter in their direction. But he mentally shook his head, putting it up to a trick of the light as he returned his attention to his sister.

-0-

The residents of Magihidusi went about their daily business, unaware of the storm that was lingering just beyond the horizon. Destinies that had been entwined long ago as a result of a twisted wish were finally beginning to unravel as a never-ending journey, the price of ending that twisted wish, itself began to reach its final stages. The calm before the storm was about to end.

-0-

An alarmed scream rang through the village square as the cavern roof began to bulge inwards, dropping towards the ground like a large droplet as space and time bent to create an inter-dimensional portal. The globule hit the ground with a dull plop and burst in a spray of mist and multi-colored smoke as three hazy forms took shape in its centre. Captain Neumro of the first guard armed with the rest of his squad surrounded the square and the figures as they all felt the lingering effects of powerful transportational spell.

"Lower your weapons, Captain," the oracle's voice rang clear and loud through the square where alarmed spectators gathered behind the guard all warily looking towards the hazy figures. The crowd parted to let the blind man through who held a pleasant smile on his face.

"It's good to see you again Kurogane." He stepped into the thick haze and the mist dissipated with a whispered spell, revealing the tall form of the red-eyed warrior, his sword poised before him to ward of any attacks if need be, a much smaller form seated on a wheelchair to his right, the figure's head drooping into his chest. In the seated figure's lap, sat the plush, white form of the dimensional hopper that was looking at the red-eyed warrior for guidance. Right behind him stood a petite female, her hands placed on the seated figure's shoulders as her jade-eyes warily scanned their surroundings. "And Princess Sakura, we finally meet in person."

"Nixon-san?" the girl uttered hesitantly at the same time as the warrior spoke, "Oracle."

"Come along." He said airily as he turned on his heels and began to walk through the parted crowd. "We must get Syaoran to the infirmary first. We can discuss our plans once we have assured he will be taken care of."

Wordlessly, the ninja sheathed his sword, letting the weapon vanish inside his hand. Nodding towards the princess, he took her place behind the wheelchair as he motioned for her to follow the Oracle as he brought up the rear of the small procession. The dark haired man led them through various streets nodding at some of the people he met, stopping to exchange a few words with one or two of them.

"Violetta, can you please inform Masooma that our guests and her patient have arrived?" the man said as soon as he walked into a small building that was situated quite a ways away from all the others. "You can shift him to any of the unoccupied beds, Kurogane." He added without turning around to face the man. For a brief moment, Sakura wondered how exactly was it that the blind man had been able to navigate through the crowded city and just how had he known who was inside the building?

"It's good to see that you are doing well, Princess." He smiled, bringing her out of her thoughts before she could dwell on them much further.

"Thank you. You too." she responded, sounding a little unsure as she looked towards the ninja who was busy arranging Tsubasa's body on the bed.

"Hello again Kurogane," an olive-skinned woman stepped through the entrance. Her midnight black hair was pulled back in a high ponytail, a few strands escaping to frame her face. Sakura noticed the way the woman avoided looking in the Oracle's direction though her puzzled, amber-eyed gaze lingered in her direction for a fraction of a second. She turned her attention back to the ninja soon enough though. "Is that…" she trailed off as she walked towards him. Sakura watched quietly as the woman stopped next to his bed. "Syaoran…" she whispered, her hand softly cupping the unconscious boy's pale cheek and Sakura felt a strange pang within her heart. The feeling was foreign, something she had never quite experienced before but the way the woman appeared to be looking at Tsubasa made Sakura subconsciously clench her fists. Despite the fact that she wanted Syaoran to get well as fast as he could, she did not want that woman near him.

"You must be Sakura, am I right?" Sakura blinked in surprise as the woman smiled at her. When had she left Syaoran's side and arrived in front of her.

"I am," She nodded, finding it rather hard to smile back. Her thoughts confused her. Why did she find it hard to perform an action that came so naturally to her?

"I'm Masooma." She held her hand out for a shake and finally managing to bring her feelings back under her control, Sakura took it. "It's a pleasure to finally meet you." the woman, Masooma grinned easily, though Sakura could sense an underlying sadness in her eyes. Her eyes seemed to convey her tiredness and worry. Masooma was quite pretty, someone that Tomoyo might have gushed over had she seen her but her eyes seemed to rob her of some of her beauty. They made her look far too old for her age. Like she had witnessed and suffered through horrors no one ever should.

"I'll leave you to it then, Masooma. Kurogane, if you could please accompany me?" The Oracle said as he took his leave and Sakura did not miss the irritation, anger, confusion and a small amount of fear that rolled off of the woman standing before her. She wasn't sure why but the minute they had all landed in this world, Sakura had been able to sense emotions of those around her far more accurately then she could have back in Clow. She did not like to pry into the feelings of those that were around her without their permission so she closed her eyes and concentrated on releasing a small amount of her magic to shield her from their influence.

"I'll see you later, Princess." The red-eyed man told her as he passed them, taking the dimension hopper along with him.

"I'm sorry." Masooma murmured softly as she walked back towards Syaoran. Slightly confused, Sakura followed, "I tried to stop them from going there. They refused to listen though. All three of them…"

"It's not your fault." Sakura replied in an equally quiet voice as she observed the woman scan Syaoran with her magic. The foreign pang attacked her heart once more but she ignored it in favor of studying the method the healer before her employed. It was different than the one Sakura preferred but it was one she had heard and read about all the same.

"His spine has suffered trauma quite recently." The healer frowned, "I'm sure the time flow is different between here and Clow and time passes slowly there than here, but… this injury seems fresh. A couple of days old at most. I'm sure at least a couple of weeks had passed there since he was rescued."

"… He jumped out of the window of the room he was being kept in."

"I see." The woman nodded as she resumed her scan, not speaking for several more moments. "The bones in his arm are healing rather nicely. As are his ribs. You are a healer as well, am I correct?"

"I have been trained in the arts of healing as the High Priestess of Clow."

"High Priestess, hmm?" the woman did something quite uncharacteristic as she gave her a wide grin and whistled. "Nice. I never got promoted to the Head Healer back in Celes."

"You used to live in Celes?" Sakura asked in surprise.

"Hmm?" she murmured distractedly as she was once again scanning Syaoran. Pausing briefly to look over her shoulder at the princess, she nodded, "Oh yeah. I used to be Fai's apprentice."

"Apprentice? But Fai-san can't…" she blushed at the look the older woman shot her. Hastily she looked away, unable to meet her gaze.

"I know. He can't heal. It's almost like his magic was never meant for healing so it refuses to heal. He knows the theory behind it all though, so his knowledge is quite extensive."

"I see."

"I think it might be best if we move Syaoran to the spare room attached to my chambers."

"What?" Sakura looked back in alarm.

"I'd be able to keep a closer eye on him that way." The woman said with a small laugh that caused Sakura's embarrassed blush to deepen. "You don't have to worry about me trying anything."

"I wasn't insinuating that." She mumbled, once again looking away.

"Relax," Masooma laughed again, "I know you're apprehensive about him being in the care of someone you barely know. Especially," she sobered up, "considering the price that forbids you or Kurogane from seeing him until he is healed."

"How do you know about our price?" she asked, looking at the healer rather apprehensively. Not even Touya or Yukito had known about the price they had had to pay to get to Magihidusi.

"Watanuki mentioned that when I made a wish to him."

"Oh…"

"Looking after Syaoran is part of my price." She admitted, "Not that I would mind looking after him otherwise." She added hastily. There was a moment of silence before she asked in a hesitant manner, "Sakura, you're going to go along to rescue Fai, aren't you?"

"Yes." The princess nodded.

"I see." She nodded, returning her attention to her patient. Slightly puzzled, Sakura observed the woman taking care of Tsubasa as she went about scanning him with various spells. Feeling the princess's eyes on her, Masooma turned to give her a weary smile, her gaze only serving to highlight the healer's sadness and pain. Any lingering discomfort that Sakura felt towards the older woman vanished as she met her stare. Despite the way she held herself as she moved around, she looked quite fragile, letting Sakura catch a glimpse of what lay behind her mask of lighthearted cheeriness. And no matter how different she appeared to be from the other, as Sakura looked at the healer then, she was painfully reminded of the blond magician that had travelled with her other self on her journey to reclaim her precious memories.

"Don't worry Masooma-san," she offered her a comforting smile in return, "we'll bring him back for sure."

Though it did not completely disappear, the helplessness in her expression lessened a little. "Thank you."

_**A/N: So can anyone name the emotion Sakura felt when she's with Masooma? The group has finally made it to Magihidusi. But will they be able to get to Fai on time?**_

_**Oh I just remembered. Someone mentioned how Fai should have died from his wounds getting infected since the hunters usually didn't bother treating or cleaning the injuries for days on end. He's bound to suffer for that. Since I can't really find any place to fit the explanation into the story itself, I decided I'd just explain it over here. The reason why his wounds hadn't gotten infected so far because of the drugs they were giving him. It's supposed to be a fairly new drug developed by the hunters so Syaoran and Fai are some of the few captured mages that have been given it. (Masooma was captured/tortured way before its development). As I've already mentioned it's designed to make them hallucinate and fear their loved ones. Basically it has three major functions.**_

_**a. Make them mistrust and fear the people they care about**_

_**b. Restrict/suppress their magic**_

_**c. Fight off infections in the wounds**_

_**The reason for c. is because if the mage got infected he'd end up getting sick. If he got sick, the hunters would most probably have to be careful about the extent of damage they could inflict on their victim. Obviously it would also mean that the captured mage would die sooner which would reduce their chances of getting the information that they want. In case you are wondering, the hunters don't really know that the location of the essence is known only to the guardians. They believe it's general knowledge amongst all mages.**_

_**That being said, the hunters have stopped giving Fai that drug. I think you can see where this is going, no? ;)**_


	28. Brought out

_**A/N: More Fai for everyone! ^_^ **_

_**Enjoy!**_

Syaoran felt like crying for help when he noticed the way Fai's body grew limp; his breath coming in such shallow, ragged gasps it was a wonder how the man was even able to get any oxygen in his blood at all. His condition had steadily worsened ever since he had been thrown in this small chamber. From the flushed pallor of his sickeningly pale skin, Syaoran knew that the man had a high fever and if something was not done to bring down his temperature, he would die for sure. As though to answer his silent pleas, the door to the outer chamber opened and Syaoran heard the dreadful clack of the silver-haired woman's high heeled boots. She slid open the lock to Fai's tiny cell and for a brief moment, Syaoran considered crushing her heart right where she stood. In the bright fluorescent light cast by the tube fitted into the roof of the tiny chamber, he noticed the dark gloves that adorned her hands, one of which held the device that she had used to scan Fai's condition a few days back.

"We're not going to let you die so easily, mage." She murmured softly, kneeling beside him as her hand trailed the line of his jaw. "You're too interesting a specimen. No one has resisted the drug so far. I'm quite curious to find out what it is about your magic that sets you apart from the others of your kind."

Her brow furrowed in confusion as she took in the reading from the scanner.

"Maybe we were a bit too hard on you." she said as she climbed to her feet, leaving the chamber for a while returning with her two cronies in tow. Wordlessly the brutes bent down and picked him up, one of them taking hold of his arms while the other caught hold of his thighs. Fai moaned in pain but it was frighteningly soft, almost like a whine buried somewhere inside his throat.

He was dying.

Syaoran followed behind them as they proceeded down several twisting hallways. He vaguely wondered what it was with evil lairs and twisting pathways, but quickly managed to get his straying mind to focus on the present events. They stopped outside a room with a brightly polished silver door. The woman pressed her hand against a panel built into it and it beeped once before hissing and sliding out of the way as soon as she removed her hand. Billows of cool mist curled outwards as the air escaped the room. Hurriedly, Syaoran stepped inside just as the door began to slide to a close. It was still quite troublesome for him to get through closed doors in this place, despite him being a spirit. It was almost like the metal made him briefly turn solid, even if he stayed invisible to these hunters. A long, horizontal tank, roughly three feet by six feet in size and almost three feet in height stood off to one side. It was filled with a pale blue translucent liquid that seemed to be the source of the curling white mist. At a nod from the woman, the brutes moved Fai to the tank and dumped him inside, though one of them caught hold of his hair and dragged his head out of the thick, viscous liquid before he could drown. The woman grabbed a clear white pipe from one of the worktables and inserted it into the side of the tank. Rolling up the sleeve of her shirt, she pulled the pipe through the other side and proceeded to place it in Fai's slightly parted mouth.

Syaoran could hear the other man choke and gag as the plastic was shoved down his throat, but he could only stand by helplessly and watch the woman work. From what she had said, it seemed like they were going to do something to help him. Even if it was hurting him now, it would keep him alive for a few more days. Satisfied with her work, the woman stepped away and Syaoran noticed that the rest of Fai's mouth and nose were covered by an oval disk of sorts, probably meant to keep the liquid from entering his windpipe and ultimately drowning him.

The man let go of Fai's hair and he sank to the bottom of the tank. The woman pressed a series of buttons on a flat panel next to the tank and tiny black pipes, not unlike the ones that made up the woman's gloves, appeared from the bottom of the tank, attaching to various spots on the blonde's body. At the press of another button, the lid of the tank slid into place as the air was completely sucked out as it filled with the liquid. Fai's form was a hazy blur of pale flesh by now, though he noticed thick black straps holding him to the bottom of the tank. He wasn't sure when they had appeared and bound the magician, but it must have been with the black pipes. At the woman's signal, the brutes left the chamber, leaving her alone with the blonde and Syaoran.

"I did not think you would slip into shock in just a day. After all, you put up such a stubborn front the day before yesterday. Oh well." She shrugged carelessly as she slid her hands into a small slot right next to the panel with all the buttons. For a short while, nothing happened, but then the liquid inside the tank began to bubble, though frost seemed to gather on the outside of the tank. Syaoran heard a muffled sound that sounded almost like an agonized scream and when his eyes' gaze settled on the hazy form inside the tank past the gathering frost, he realized that the man was thrashing about. That is, as much as he could while being restrained inside the tank. Half a minute later, the woman withdrew her hands, panting slightly as she looked inside the tank. "You'll heal just enough to survive what we have planned for you next." She told the man inside, "I can't wait to see just what is it that makes you tick. I guess we might give you one last chance to tell us what we want to know. Although the higher ups seem to think you might be of more use to us in death."

With those words, she turned around and left, shivering slightly as she passed right through Syaoran.

"_You should have just pretended, Fai-san…"_ he murmured softly as he slid down the wall and landed on his rump. Fear and hopelessness gripped his heart as he stared at the bubbling tank and the convulsing blond inside. _"Kurogane-san, Sakura-chan…please hurry."_

-0-

Tsubasa felt like he was floating in nothingness, thick, black, suffocating nothingness that swallowed up any light or sound. The cold warmth spread through his entire body, coaxing him to sink deeper, but a warm cold cut through the nothingness, bringing with it light and sound. Light that was painfully bright and sound that was excruciatingly loud. He could feel this new sensation tug him away from the nothingness, pulling him towards the light and sound. He tried to sink away, but it was unrelenting.

"Syaoran. Wake up." The sensation called out to him. Part of him wanted to ignore it and sink back into the nothingness but the sensation was insistent, its warm cold seeping deep within and pushing out the cold warmth. "Wake up, Syaoran."

_I don't want to…_ he replied weakly.

"Why not?" the sensation questioned.

_It hurts… everything hurts…_

"The hurt will go away, you know."

_No… I don't want to…_

"Why not, Syaoran?"

_It will hurt… I'm scared… they will hurt me… I don't want to hurt anymore._

"You won't hurt anymore, Syaoran."

_No… I'm safe here..._

"But there's nothing here."

_That's why it's safe._

"It's not safe here."

_Yes it is._

"No, it isn't." The sensation insisted, "The void will consume you and you won't exist anymore."

_But I won't hurt anymore either… everything will end…_

"You don't want everything to end, Syaoran."

_Yes I do…_

"No. You don't." the sensation repeated firmly.

_I won't hurt anymore…_

"But others will hurt if you're gone."

_No one cares… No one cares if I go…_

"People care, Syaoran." The warm cold spread further, tugging him farther away from the nothingness.

_No! No one cares! Let me go!_

"What about your father?" the sensation questioned quietly as it let go, letting him drift towards the sweet nothingness. "Doesn't he care?"

_Father?_

"Yes, your father. He doesn't want you to go. Would you leave him alone?"

… _Father cares?_ He wondered, the concept of someone caring almost alien to him.

"Of course he does. He'd be very sad if you'd leave him, you know."

_Father… cares…_

"Come along."The warm cold spread out once again, slowly tugging him away from the dark nothingness, "We need to head back now."

_Father… cares…_

-0-

"You're more forthcoming with information this time," Kurogane said in a neutral tone, though his eyes carefully observed the blind Oracle. "And you don't look ready to keel over every time you speak."

"You'll have to thank Masooma for that." He nodded as he moved away, retrieving a rolled sheet of paper from one of the shelves and spread it out on the table to reveal a map of some sorts. "We have until tomorrow to come up with a plan of action. Fai doesn't have much time left."

"Still can't tell us what you see, can you though?"

"I'm still the Oracle, Kurogane," the man sighed, shaking his head with a small frown, "No amount of wishing can free me from that."

"What's wrong with you and the healer?" he asked gruffly, observing the man closely for his reactions.

"Masooma?" he questioned airily that reminded him too much of a certain blond iidiot…

"Yeah, she's avoiding you."

"We had a bit of an argument concerning the price of her wish."

"Is that why she's taking care of the kid?"

"Part of the reason." He responded evasively as his fingers traced the slightly raised lines drawn on the sheet of paper. "I take it the princess will be going along for the rescue?"

"Yeah."

"You used the western network of tunnels to enter Metropolis the last time." his tone grew business-like, "Our patrols have reported an increase in the guard stationed in that area. Even though it's the closest to their facility, there are two other ways to get into the city undetected although once their facility is broken into, all exits to the city will be sealed, so you won't be able to escape like you did the first time. Given Syaoran's current condition, I think it's safe to assume that he will be playing no part in the rescue. So unless you plan on leaving him here in Magihidusi, I'd say changing dimensions as a means to escape is out of the question."

"We're not leaving the kid behind." He replied firmly.

"I thought not." Nixon nodded, "But Fai can't wait long enough for Syaoran to recover. Which brings us back to the problem of escape."

"Isn't there any weakness in their defense?"

"There are several, actually." The Oracle stated, "But none of which you will be in a position to exploit at that time."

"What about the network of tunnels built under their city," the red-eyed man frowned thoughtfully as he observed the map closely, "doesn't that join the tunnels we'll be using to break into that place at some point?"

"The only one that did collapsed during the stint that got Syaoran captured," he shook his head. "However, we know that magic can still be used as a means to escape. Fai's spell taught us that much."

"The princess isn't well versed in transportation magic." The warrior reasoned.

"Whoever said anything about Sakura performing the spell?" he quirked a brow lightly.

"I'm no mage and I doubt that idiot would be well enough to use any spells either."

"Ah, but you forget," Nixon grinned mischievously, "I'm well enough _and_ powerful enough to get us all out of there."

"You're coming along?" Try as he might, Kurogane could not keep the surprise out of his tone.

"Thanks to Masooma, I'm free of my deal with the Shaman." He nodded, tracing out invisible patterns in the air before him with his fingers. It reminded Kurogane of the type of magic Fai used, which was something he had yet to witness being done by any other mage. The air shimmered slightly before something materialized with a metallic glint. The Oracle deftly plucked the objects out of the air, twirling them carelessly in his hands, "I no longer have to abide by the laws that bind all magicians of this world."

"Throwing knives?" Kurogane quirked a brow, observing the blind man's weapon of choice.

"Not just any throwing knives," he replied with a grin, flicking his hand and letting one of them fly through the air. It hit the wooden shelf with a dull thud. He flicked his hand and the knife materialized in the palm of his hand. "These babies were enchanted by the High Mage of Celes to return back to their wielder when he wills it. They were a gift from Fai for saving his ass once upon a time." Nixon said as his smile turned somber. "I ended up having to retrain myself to be able to use them after I lost my sight but they're my element of surprise. After all, no one expects a blind man to use projectiles weapons to fight, do they now?"

_**A/N: Fai is locked up in a tank, Tsubasa is hearing voices and Kurogane and Nixon have started working on a rescue plan. Next chapter finally sheds some light on how things went to hell the first time around for Kuro and Co and Tsubasa's healing officially begins. **_

_**Okay so I based my choice of weapons for the guardians on Fai's fighting style. Fai is a bit of a long range fighter and he's quite good with projectile weapons (such as darts and a bow and arrows) and he also uses a staff to kick ass. Masooma's fighting style is similar to Fai's since she was taught how to use her staff as an offensive weapon under his apprenticeship. As for Nixon's throwing knives, I'd say they both (Fai and Nixon) learnt to use them around the same time for a part of the test for becoming the Oracle. After Nixon loses his sight upon taking Fai's place as the Oracle, Fai gifts him the enchanted knives. Nixon is blind but he can sense the auras of his surrounding so he had to retrain himself on how to use them. But now he can kick some major ass. Of course, once he became a guardian he stopped using them because of his pact with the Shaman that prevents him from killing the hunters. But now that he is free, he's decided to use them again. My Beta says that he seemed to be more of an unarmed fighter to her but I like him with **_**some**_** sort of weapons. What about you guys? Think it's an appropriate choice for him?**_

_**So a few readers asked me how I imagined Masooma and her staff to look like. I ended up drawing her and Nixon last night. I've uploaded the picture on my deviantart account. Feel free to copy past the following link in your browser window (minus the spaces) and check it out, k?**_

_**http: / nimmxx. deviantart. com / art / The-Guardians-270868197 ? q=gallery % 3Animmxx & qo= 1**_

_**I had a lot of fun drawing the staff even though it's kinda simple. I might end up making a more elaborate version at some later date but for now, that's her staff. ;)**_


	29. By Your Side

_**A/N: So I had my final year project proposal defense today and I promised myself that I'd update if it went well. Right now I'm on cloud nine because it went really well. So here's a celebrationary update for you all. (I know that's not a word but what the heck. I made it up just for this occasion. ;) )**_

_**Enjoy! **_

Feeling thirstier than he had in ages, he struggled to open his eyes. The room he occupied was dimly lit, the roof- being the only thing he could see due to the fact that he was laying on a flat surface- was made out of large irregularly cut stones. The air smelled a little damp and musty, the way air always smells in underground places. His breath hitched in his throat, eyes darting wildly around him. He was back there. Underground. No light. No air. They had put him back again. Was this the king's way of fulfilling his sadistic promises? Bile began to rise in his throat prompting him to turn to the side of his bed and hack weakly even though there was nothing in his stomach to expel.

"-there. Easy." Someone was rubbing his back in circles, the fingers somewhat cold as they seemed to rob his body of its heat through the thin material of the bandages, "Relax. Take deep breaths. Easy now. It's okay."

Still struggling to bring his breathing under control, he weakly looked around before turning his attention back to the person hovering around him. A pair of concerned amber eyes met his gaze and for the first time in a long time, he found a small urge within himself to relax. The room was empty save for the woman beside him. A soothing warm cold flowed through his body from the spot where the woman's fingers touched his back and he found it easier to draw each successive breath. Something told him that he was safe here.

"Who… Who are you?" he rasped, his eyes darting around the room once more before settling on her face.

"My name is Masooma." The woman said with a small smile. "And we have actually met before you know."

"I'm sorry but I-" harsh coughs racked his body as he doubled over once again. The woman pressed an earthen mug to his lips the minute the fit eased up a little. Like a man on the brink of death, he drained the mug in only two gulps. "I don't remember having met you before."

"I'd have been more surprised if you _did_ remember me." she replied with a shake of her head. "How are you feeling?" seeing his questioning look, she added, "I'm a healer."

"Where…" he gulped heavily, "Where am I?"

"Some place safe." She replied airily as the woman turned her attention towards untying a knot on one of the bandages that were wrapped around his torso. Her long hair fell across the side of her face as she leaned over him slightly, her long fingers working nimbly. She had very short nails, he noticed idly as he watched her, the ends almost appeared to have been chewed to the quick. "Don't worry." She flashed him another smile, "No one will be able to harm you here."

"Am I alone?" he whispered hesitantly, wondering where the cruel princess and his former companions might be.

The woman met his gaze with sad eyes and he felt his heart sink.

"No Syaoran." She finally answered. "But there's no one here that would hurt you." she added as she finished unwrapping the bandages. A deep frown adorned her pale face as she stared at the numerous scars, burns and stitches that littered his chest. "_Those sadistic bastards."_ She hissed venomously as she quickly turned away from him and marched over to a wooden cabinet. Muttering rather obscenely under her breath, she rummaged inside for half a minute before turning around to face him with a gentle smile. "I was actually drawing up a bath for you when you woke up," she told him as she walked over and placed the items she had retrieved from the closet on the table beside his bed. They were four, white plastic bottles with caps of varying colors. "We need to clean your wounds again before I bandage them." With that, she pulled over a wheelchair to his bedside and looked at him expectantly. "Once you're clean and bandaged I'll get you some broth to eat." The smile slid of her face, replaced by a frown as she observed him closely. "What's wrong?"

"I can't move my legs anymore…" he breathed, on the edge of hysterics as he stared at his legs before glancing all around the room like a caged animal, "They…They paralyzed me so I wouldn't run… They'll take me back there… I can't move and they'll take me back there…"

"Syaoran, look at me." She ordered gently as she took his face in her hands and turned him to face her. His eyes were wide with terror, pupils dilated as his gaze kept on darting everywhere, "calm down." She said as she sent another soothing spell into his body. She internally frowned as the spell weakened the deeper it went. Not stopping, she let more of her magic flow into the spell, "No one can come in here but me."

Like a little child being soothed from a nightmare, his hopeful gaze fixed on her. Smiling gently she pressed her fingers against his temple, casting another spell, watching him closely as small strands of her magic penetrate his mind as she began to assess his mental state. The diagnostic spell only worked when the victim was awake and she knew that in order to avoid something that might unknowingly shatter what little trust her magic had allowed her to gain from the boy, she decided that right then would be the best time to find out what she was dealing with. His eyes glazed over as a side-effect of the spell as she let her magic do its work. Five minutes later, she drew back with an exhausted sigh, noticing that the boy had slipped back into a trance. Pushing his greasy hair out of his face, she climbed to her feet, carefully picking up his pliant body from the bed and settling it on the wheelchair. Even though he was only a few years younger than her, probably seventeen or eighteen, he still felt frighteningly light in her arms. His head lolled about his shoulders as she made her way to the small bath attached to the room. Steam wafted from the filled tub, some of the water spilling over the brim as she lowered him into the water. She positioned him so that he wouldn't slip underwater as she went to retrieve the disinfectant and the washing solutions from the room. As an added measure, she cast a small spell to hold his body in place. She found him in the same position as when she had left, when she returned a couple of minutes later with some fresh clothes of his that Mokona had been holding on to.

Rolling up her sleeves, she uncapped the bottle of disinfected and set about her task. Once she had cleansed all his injuries and washed his hair, she decided he needed to have a haircut before she brought him out of his daze. The drug the hunters had been using on him had been designed to not only make him mistrust and fear all those around him, it had also tampered with his memory. As he was now, he had no memory of why he had been travelling with his companions to Metropolis or what had led to his capture. Her heart clenched in fear for Fai. It had been two and a half months now. What havoc would the drug have wrecked on his mind? From what she had gathered from Sakura, the drug had made Syaoran see her, Kurogane and Fai in place of the actual hunters. Who would Fai be seeing as his tormentors? His travelling companions or… her? If they… No! She had to have faith. She couldn't give up hope. _When_ they brought him back, would he be just as afraid of her as Syaoran was of Sakura?

Taking in a deep breath, she steadied herself and began gathering her courage. She had made a wish to Watanuki to free Nixon from his Guardian Pact so that he could go along with Kurogane to rescue Fai. It was only after the arrival of the dimension travelers in Magihidusi that she had discovered about Princess Sakura's decision to accompany the red-eyed warrior. Staying behind to take care of and physically heal Syaoran was only part of her price. The reason why Nixon had gotten so upset over her making that wish had been because of the second half of her price. She also had to work and heal his mind as best as she could. The Shaman's magic was no joking matter and to break a pact that strong, the price had to be equally high. Watanuki had of course warned her of what that would entail but she had been dead-set on making her wish. In the end, Watanuki had no choice but to comply since he was in the end, a granter of wishes. It was his job to warn the wisher of the consequences of their wish and the payment of their price and then if they still wanted it, grant the wish.

"_Are you sure you want to do this, Masooma-san?"_

"_Yes, I'm quite sure. I might have been worried if I had not studied the healing arts but as it is…" she trailed off._

"_You _do_ know what healing his mind would entail." The boy pointed out with a small frown, "Are you willing to put yourself through that when I am quite certain you haven't fully recovered from your own ordeal?"_

"… _It's not like I have that much of a choice in this matter, Watanuki-san." The use of the honorific with his name was not missed by the boy. "I'll deal with my own issues when the time comes."_

Putting back all the broken pieces of Syaoran's mind would be a rather difficult and painful process for both him and herself but Masooma knew she had to do it to save Fai. Even if in the end, she would only be further ensnared into the pact with that manipulative Shaman once Nixon was free and she was the only guardian left, she knew that for the man she loved more than life itself, she would do it in a heartbeat. Thinking about Nixon made her remember what had happened four days back when she had been summoned to Nixon's chambers from the middle of her fight with the hunters. She did not regret any of the things she had said to him that day but… thinking about his confession and his kiss… it made her feel ashamed of herself. Nixon wasn't the type of person to act on half formed thoughts or feelings so she knew there was no way what he had done had been because of a sudden impulse. She remembered a time when he had jokingly revealed that he had harbored a crush on her a long time back. Of course he had reassured her that he had let go of his feelings once she had gotten together with Fai but what if… what if he had been harboring those feelings for her all this time? It hit her with the force of a raging Celesian bullhorn as her mind conjured his actions over the past years.

How could she have been so blind to everything? All those little gestures he made towards her. Despite having been separated for so long, she had only ever thought of Fai, holding the blond to his promise of finding her again. And because she had waited for him to find her, she had never even considered the possibility of the blind man as something more than a dear friend. He must have known though, because that was the only reason she could think for him not having acted on his feelings before. She had been avoiding him completely since that day but how much longer could she hide from him? She still did not think of him as anything more than a brother she never had but he had helped her and given up so much for her. Hiding and avoiding him would be unfair towards him. After all, he had only done that to make her stop. She had been the one to push him to the limits of his tolerance. She owed it to him to at the very least speak to him once. But maybe… she'd speak to him when things had cooled down a bit. She still couldn't bring herself to face him just yet.

Silently, she wrapped the bandages around Syaoran's wounds and dressed him in his clothes- a pair of brown cargo pants and a khaki button down shirt. Cut to its proper length and cleansed of all the dirt and blood and grease, his hair now stuck up at odd angles, just like it had when he had first arrived at Magihidusi, though just like the rest of him his hair was now weak and brittle. Masooma did not miss how the brunette seemed to almost disappear in his clothes, his body dangerously thin and fragile from almost being starved to death. She knew he would need a lot of physical therapy to regain the strength in his limbs. She sighed as she climbed to her feet and covered him up with a blanket. A pang of remorse attacked her heart as she took in the sight he presented. Even though Sakura had yet to mention it, Masooma could tell from her initial diagnosis of the boy that her healing magic had not been working completely on him. Two weeks should have had been more than enough to heal his broken bones completely, yet there were still hairline cracks, the rest of his wounds ought to have been nothing but faint scars yet there were some that still bled a little. The princess was an accomplished healer, after all acquiring the post of High Priestess was no joke, but it was not Sakura's lack of experience in regards to healing or a weakness in her magic, heck she could tell Sakura's magic was just as powerful as Fai's and that was saying something.

No, the reason why she had failed to heal Syaoran completely in the two weeks he had spent at Clow was because of the fact that there was something wrong with the brunette. Or rather, something was wrong with his blood. It appeared that it seemed to resist attempts at healing his body. In her time spent at Magihidusi as the resident healer and guardian, Masooma knew of only one thing capable of cancelling out the effects of magic. Cerelium. They had injected Cerelium compounds into his blood. No doubt in attempts to negate his own magic. but as long as the compound remained in his bloodstreams, it would also fight off foreign magic to a lesser extent. Healing wounds with magic was a complicated matter. It was not just about knowing about the wound and the healing spells. Time, amount of magic, severity of the wound… it all mattered. Healing the injury to his spinal column required nothing more than a greater amount of magic on her part but in order for her to be able to heal it completely, she needed to act as fast as possible. The older the injury, the lesser the chance there was for magic to work on it. Unfortunately the Cerelium compounds inside his body complicated matters. They did not let her magic penetrate deep enough inside him for it to be effective enough to heal the wound. Only once he was flushed clean of the substance would there be any chance of her being able to heal it. sadly, the amount of time needed to completely get rid of the compound was far greater than the amount of time she could leave the wound alone before it would be rendered unhealable.

Syaoran might just end up being crippled for life.

-0-

"_I take it you have been able to gather enough information to attempt a break in?" Nixon asked politely as they all ate dinner, vegetable and rabbit stew. _

"_We think we know where the cure is." Syaoran nodded, "We're going to see what we can find out tomorrow and then move in the day after."_

"_And are you sure you want to go there despite all the risks involved?" he quirked a brow, "there are alternative methods to travelling between dimensions as I'm sure you are well aware of."_

"_None of those methods are permanent, Nixon." Fai shook his head, "my magic is not enough to transport four people across the dimensions and Syaoran-kun begins to feel the effects of his price if he stays in one world for too long. This is the only solution we have."_

_Masooma who had been quietly eating dinner until then, set down her bowl rather forcefully, the liquid inside sloshing and spilling a little on the table as she stood up. She shot a glare at Nixon and Fai before turning around and rushing from the dining hall. Nixon made to get up but Fai beat him to it. "I'll go talk to her." Ignoring Syaoran's troubled gaze and Kurogane's annoyed and worried frown, he took the path the witch had taken and followed her to the top of the pyramid._

"_So you're just going to leave again…"she said in a bitter tone before he had a chance to speak._

"_Masooma…" he sighed, "I'm sorry but it's very complicated."_

"_You could just send them to someplace they can get help for your transporter." She countered, "It's not like you _have_ to go with them."_

"_Nixon told you about my journey, right?" Fai questioned softly, "I care for Syaoran-kun like a little brother. Fei Wang trapped him and Watanuki-kun in a void for all eternity when he was destroyed because their mere existence is a paradox. In order to escape, they took on heavy prices. Watanuki-kun can never leave the shop until his wish has been met and Syaoran-kun cannot stop travelling until he finds a world where the spirits of mother and father can finally have bodies of their own and exist in peace."_

"_He wants to bring them back from the dead?"_

"_Not the dead." He shook his head as he came and settled down on the ledge next to her, "They are existing as memories inside Sakura-chan and Syaoran-kun. If we don't leave a world in two weeks time the price begins to destroy Syaoran-kun's body little by little. Even if I send them away without going along myself… who is to say that they will be able to cure Mokona in time? And if they can't cure Mokona and I'm not there…" he trailed off, closing his eyes._

"… _I have a very bad feeling about your all going there." She admitted quietly. "Please Fai," she turned to him, "there must be some other way. I can't help but feel that something will go wrong and… I just don't want to lose you."_

"_Masooma," pulling her to his chest, he murmured in her hair, "have a little faith in me."_

"_I'll never forgive you if you let something happen to you."_

_He only tightened his grip in response to her statement. Unease about the upcoming break-in tugged at his own heart as well, but he knew that there was no other way and Syaoran was running out of time. He had to do this._

_**A/N: So… They're about to break-in into Metropolis. Masooma's fears turn into reality as things go to hell for Syaoran and co. A little teaser of what's in store for Fai next time. **_

"I can see now what Bauld meant about that wretched bitch. She fought back. I'd even say she fought almost as hard as you…" she paused, as though waiting for him to respond. At the garbled string of noises that erupted from his throat at that, she gave a simpering laugh, deciding to continue with her monologue, "Of course, Bauld has a way of breaking his playthings after a while."

_**A Note: The story seems to have taken a life of its own once more. *sighs* It's all starting to write itself and I'm afraid I might have to change the rating to M in the next couple of chapters. -_-; Just thought I oughtta warn you all in advance. It's all headed in a direction I had decided not to venture in when I started this fic, which means that there might be a death or two in the near future. **_


	30. Bodybound

_**A/N: and this is the chapter where I change the rating to M. not because of what's in chapter but mostly because of what's gonna come up next time. or the time after that. Or the one afterthat. It's gonna get kinda graphic from here on out so yeah, even more so than before, so in order to keep this story from being deleted, I'm gonna increase the rating. But anywho… I hope you guys enjoy the update all the same. ;)**_

_The explosion rocked the entire building as fire leapt forth from the tank to engulf the entire room. Hunters began pouring in from the only entrance to the room, armed to the teeth with weapons._

"_Well, looks like things took a turn for the worst," Fai commented lightly as he jerked his hands and drew out his claws, his eyes flashing to gold beside Kurogane. Syaoran slapped the heels of his palms together and summoned his swords. Following his example, Kurogane did the same, jumping into the fray as the hunters attacked their small group. It was chaos all around as one side of the room collapsed, opening the way into the corridor outside. Kurogane yelled at the other two to get the hell out of there, knowing now the cure to be nothing more than a trap set up by the hunters to lure the mages in. Growling in frustration for falling for a such a simple trick, he slashed his sword at the men, left and right, not caring whether they lived or died. They had to get out of there. Luckily, all three of them managed to bring the fight to the corridor outside but before they could actually try and attempt to escape, another explosion caused the roof of the tunnel they were in to cave in, taking with it several of their opponents. Unfortunately, it ended up separating Syaoran from him and Fai, away from their route of escape._

_With only one or two opponents left for them to deal with, they quickly met at the small opening near the top of the cave in where they could see each other._

"_Syaoran-kun, get away from the pile. I'm going to blast the rocks apart and make way for you."_

"_There isn't any time Fai-san." The brunette replied with an urgent shake of his head. "I can hear more hunters coming from my side. I'm going to leave before they have a chance to find me. I'll meet you at the city." They could only watch as he raced down the pile and around the corner. Knowing that he had a valid point, they decided to leave as well knowing that the longer they waited, the more difficult it would be for them to escape. That had been the last time they had seen Syaoran as himself._

-0-

"_Nixon," Fai said seriously as he approached the Oracle, "can you tell me where Syaoran-kun is? It has been almost a day now. If he's stuck in the city somewhere, Kurogane and I will go retrieve him but we don't want to risk running into any hunters while searching for him."_

"_You can't retrieve him." Nixon shook his head sadly._

"_What the fuck do you mean we can't?" Kurogane blew up, reminding Fai of the angry ninja that had arrived at Yuuko's shop all those years ago. It was a testimony to the fact how worried he was about the brunette._

"_The hunters have him."_

"_For how long?" Fai's tone became sharp._

"_He never made it out of the complex."_

"_And you couldn't even be bothered to tell us?" the red-eyed man growled, grabbing Nixon's collar as he hoisted the blind man into the air, "what the fucking hell is wrong with you? Where is he now?"_

"_I'm sorry," he shook his head, "I can't tell you."_

"_Those bastards might kill the kid!" he slammed Nixon into the wall, "Where. Is. He?" he reiterated in a dangerously soft voice._

"_I literally can't tell you." the Oracle replied, "as a guardian of Magihidusi, I am magically bound not to say anything."_

"_I see." Fai voiced, making no motion to make his companion let go of his old friend, "is that why you didn't tell us he was captured before?"_

"_I'm really sorry Fai." The blind man apologized. "I really am."_

"_You might be able to give us a hint or two however." The blond said, ignoring the incredulous look Kurogane shot him, "It'd be better if we had something to start with."_

"_Ask Masooma the name of the place she had been kept at."_

"_Let's go Kuro-tan." _

"_That's it?" he dropped the Oracle, turning around to round on his companion instead. "He's supposed to be a seer and that's all he can tell us?"_

"_Magically binding contracts are no laughing matter, Kurogane." Fai replied in a rather flat tone, "even giving us a small hint such as that will take its toll on him. I'd rather he not die while trying to help us." And sure enough, the Nixon was having trouble climbing back to his feet. "I'll ask Masooma and then we'll scout around Metropolis to see what we can find."_

"_I'm really sorry that I can't be of anymore help to you." the blind man said apologetically as he finally managed to stand up, leaning heavily against the wall as he did so. "If I could have-"_

"_Save it." Kurogane cut in irritably, "I know what you're going to say. You said the same thing when we asked about going to the city the last time."_

"_You and the residents of the city are bound by its laws." Fai said softly as he stopped by the door, "We, as visitors, are free to do as we please. Don't worry Nixon. We'll rescue Syaoran-kun on our own. Come on Kuro-puu, it'll be just like looking for Sakura-chan's feather again."_

"_Tch…" grumbling under his breath, the red-eyed ninja followed his blond companion._

-0-

His head felt like it was filled with lead, drums pounding on the inside like a marching band he had seen in Outo. Struggling not to throw up as vertigo assaulted him, the world spinning around him in circles, he blinked, trying to take in his surroundings. He was in an upright position, that much he could tell, cold metal pressing against his bare flesh, his hands tied behind his back. The world felt extremely cold to him at that time, his body shivering uncontrollably from the low temperature.

_Fai-san… Are you awake?_

"Syaoran-kun?"

_Oh good. I was worried something had happened to you when they…_ the spirit trailed off.

"Is there something covering my eyes, Syaoran-kun? Everything feels too strange right now. I can't tell. Is it dark in here?"

_You've been blindfolded, Fai-san._

"I see." He nodded, returning his attention to his body. He needed to figure out why every part of his body felt so numb, why there was such a dull ache in his bones, why his back did not hurt as much as it should have after being burnt, why… "Syaoran-kun, what happened after I lost consciousness?"

…_They left you in a small cell for a while, your condition was quite bad after they… burnt you like that... The woman came to check up on you. She must have noticed something was wrong because she had you brought to this room which I suspect was a healing chamber… They've healed enough of your body that you won't die. _He did not need to add 'From anything further that they might inflict on you.'

"I see… So I guess it proves my theory that they want me alive."

_Fai-san… why did you have to-_

"I told you Syaoran-kun, I don't want to give them that satisfaction."

_Even if doing otherwise gets you killed?_ The boy exploded in anger. _This is stupid Fai-san! You're normally one to work the situation to your own advantage. You could easily manipulate them by… I don't know… lying or acting or something!_ Fai could hear him pace around, _why do you insist on doing this to yourself?_

"… I have my reasons Syaoran-kun." He replied softly.

_Are your reasons worth more than your life?_

"I won't die." he replied firmly, "They need me alive."

_Fai-san, please…_

"Syaoran-kun, what they've been doing to me, they've done the same to Tsubasa-kun." He paused for a moment, "they've done something much worse to Masooma. Even if I wanted to… I just… I can't bring myself to do it… Don't worry though, like I said, they won't kill me just yet."

_But for how long? And how long can _you_ hold on? It's only a matter of time before they-_

"Have a little faith in me, wont you, Syaoran-kun?" he interrupted the spirit's angry tirade, flashing a small grin even if doing so made him feel like the skin on his face was peeling away. "I've been through worse."

… _She's coming back._

An uneasy feeling settled in his gut but the magician tampered it down. Wouldn't do to lose his cool in front of that wretched woman after he had worked so hard to make Syaoran believe he knew what he was doing.

"It's good to see you're back amongst the living, Fai." She purred, her fingers trailing softly against his collar bone.

"It would be good to see you amongst the dead."

"Ah. Your sharp tongue has returned as well," she responded evenly, drawing away from him. He could hear her moving around him but thanks to the blindfold, he was unable to see what she was doing. "It's funny, but I think I might prefer it this way."

"I'd prefer it if yours got cut." He responded icily.

"Oh Fai," The woman laughed as her fingers threaded through his hair, gripping a fistful of it at the back of his head, "you think you're so funny. I'd watch what I said if I were you though." She pulled his head back, something cold, a knife most likely pressing against his cheek, "I wouldn't want to damage that pretty little face of yours."

"You think I care about what you do to me?"

"Maybe not right now." She breathed in his ear, "But you will pretty soon."

He hissed softly he felt her weight press against his thighs, the action causing the burn wounds to smart, the numbness beginning to fade into oblivion as pain began to take its place.

"So I've been wondering," she said conversationally, literally straddling him in the chair he was bound to, tracing random patterns on his shoulder with her blade as she pulled his head back a little further. "Will you talk now?"

"What do you think?" he grit out, clenching his hands into fists to distract himself from pain that was blossoming all across his back and thighs.

"I think," she let go of his hair, "I think that you need a little bit more of an incentive." Grabbing his jaw between sharp nails, she pulled him forward, pressing her lips against his in an unwanted kiss, "I think that I might have to make things a bit more _interesting_ in this game you have started to play." She kissed him again, plunging the knife in her other hand a bit into her shoulder when he kept his mouth firmly shut against her assault. She grinned a little before slipping her tongue in when he gasped at the sudden pain. "Mmm… Syaoran wasn't nearly as fun to kiss as you." She twisted the knife a bit to make him gasp again, the scream smothered against her mouth. "So tell me," she murmured, "tell me what I want to know and I might let you live a lot longer."

"Go to hell." He spat, losing all sense of direction when she slapped him, the merry go round that the world had become spinning faster and faster.

"Fine."

Fai was surprised when she climbed off of him, his body once again starting to shiver at the loss of heat, "If you won't answer that, I guess I can ask you another question."

"…"

"Tell me," she whispered in his ear, pausing to nibble on the lobe, "What is the source of your magic?"

Dread began to settle in the pit of his heart. This was the first time she had taken an interest in his magic. Her next slap stung his face as her nail raked across the skin hard enough to draw blood.

"The blade that's pushed into your shoulder is made out Cerelium, Fai," she told him, twisting the knife to make him gasp again as he tried to smother a cry, "the drug that we pumped into your blood to restrict you from using your magic is a compound of this wonderful metal. Did you know that if a magical being is exposed to this metal in its purest form, there are some interesting reactions that occur?"

_Get away from him._ He heard Syaoran whisper venomously but he wasn't able to decipher what it was that the brunette was doing since right at that moment, the stab of pain from the point where the knife was buried in his flesh began to spread out as she spoke, "it is said to cause the loss of all motor functions if a mage is kept in prolonged direct contact with it." She kissed him along the jaw, licking off the drops of blood, making him hiss as it stung the cuts in his cheek, "Of course, their senses work just fine, it's just that their muscles end up getting locked in place. It's kind of funny you know," she told him in a soft murmur as her hands began to roam, "there's something about you that sets you apart from all those other things that have ended up here."

_I said get away from him!_ Syaoran was yelling by now, his voice carrying a hint of panic. There must have been something that he could see which the blindfold prevented Fai from seeing. Distantly wondering why Syaoran had to resort to yelling at the woman when he could have just as easily crushed her heart or something, Fai struggled to move, realizing with a slight amount of apprehension that the woman was right. His arms had already stopped moving and his legs barely twitched when he tried to kick her away from him. "I can see now what Bauld meant about that wretched bitch. She fought back. I'd even say she fought almost as hard as you…" she paused, as though waiting for him to respond. At the garbled string of noises that erupted from his throat at that, she gave a simpering laugh, deciding to continue with her monologue, "Of course, Bauld has a way of breaking his playthings after a while."

"This defiance of yours…" she kissed him again as he clenched his jaw, that being just about the only thing he could do as everything else in his body refused to obey his command, "it's almost refreshing. I'm going to miss it." A cry was locked in his throat as her long nails tore open one of the blisters on his back. "Let's make the most of what little time you've got left, shall we?"

_**A/N: What could it be that has Syaoran so worried? And what will happen to Fai now that he's been paralyzed? Any guesses? By the way, the few chapters that follow are the ones where the story took on a mind of it's own and wrote itself out. This was so not part of my original plan for the fic but I've learnt to go with the flow and not oppose it. Here's a sneak peak of next chapter. **_

She pulled out another dagger and used it to carve a line of blood, this time across Fai's collarbone. She followed the bleeding cut with her finger before bringing it to her lips. "I'm starting to realize that I also have a habit of breaking my playthings. It's a pity..." she pouted in fake annoyance, "you were such a delight till now."

_**P.S. Only a few more chapters to go till the big rescue. ;) ;)**_


	31. Broken

_**A/N: I'm majorly depressed and don't really feel like doing any at all, which includes writing. I figured I oughtta update before I sink even deeper into the gloom and forget about updating at all. Everyone had been questioning why Syaoran didn't just crush the woman's heart last chapter the answer to that is in this chapter where Syaoran's POV is finally showed. Keep in mind that this is the part where the bunnies ran away with the storyline so this chapter wasn't a part of the initial plan. But I've learnt to go with whatever they want. Saves me from facing writer's blocks later on.**_

_**Enjoy the update.**_

Sakura looked around the city with wide eyes. If she did not know the type of people that lived there, she would have loved to stay there for a while. The sky was beautiful cerulean blue with threads of white wispy clouds. She pushed her hair out of her face as she looked up at the tall building with intricately carved marble columns and huge glass windows. A shimmering silver shield domed over the entire structure. Knowing better than to cross the barrier, she turned down the road and headed towards the park, the sun was sinking low across the horizon. The autumn air nipped at the exposed skin of her arms, causing her to shudder slightly. Pulling the cloak she wore over her clothes closer to herself, she ducked her head as she passed by a pair of armed men. The sun had set only a short while ago and she had to hurry to the little park near the entrance to Metropolis if she were to meet up with Kurogane on time.

She had been scouting the city with the older man the whole day, gathering what little information they could about the hunter's base, mainly by observing the various entrances that they had for the complex. The only time their guard relaxed was around dawn, they had been informed by Nixon so that was when they had decided that they'd be storming the base. This knowledge was something the Oracle had gained from his previous break-in to the complex years ago when he had rescued Masooma. Of course he had been unable to tell them that before thanks to his Guardian Pact but now free of that bond, he had vowed to help them as much as he could. Unfortunately, his face was known to the guards around the city so he was unable to accompany them since the Oracle roaming about their city would definitely cause alarm for the hunters.

"Hey! You're not supposed to be out at this time!" one of the guards yelled out after her, stopping her in her tracks.

Hoping that her panic did not show on her face, she turned around to give them a sheepish grin, scratching the back of her head in a confused manner.

"Oh, umm… I new here…" she said slowly, "Master say, meet park."

"Wait, what?"

"I new." She repeated, silently thanking Nixon for his advice of pretending to be a confused, foreigner if anyone stopped her. "Master come at park."

"Oi! What are you two badgering my apprentice for?" she inwardly sighed in relief as Kurogane turned around the corner and approached the group. He was dressed in standard hunter garb with a couple of personal effects thrown in. The men that had stopped her were lowly grunts but fortunately these footmen had the sort of information they had been looking for. Now all they had to do was put on a convincing enough act for the men to give them that information.

The men took note of his appearance, eyeing him suspiciously for a while before their gaze settled on his eyes. The crimson color was something only high-ranking officials acquired. The level below them had onyx as the color of their eyes to show their rank. The grunts immediately tensed, standing at attention as the ninja walked over with an angry scowl fixed on his face. "Well?" he barked, causing the guards to jump slightly.

"We did not know she was your apprentice, sir." One of the men offered, "With the curfew in-effect at sunset, we thought she might have been a Mage."

Kurogane's glare hardened, "Does she _look_ like a mage to you?" their immediately stole a look in her direction. Dressed in a pair of denim shorts and a light brown t-shirt, under a dark cloak, she did look a little suspicious but the look went perfectly well for her cover. After all, apprentices to the high-ranking hunters were known to dress as they pleased. She narrowed her eyes in defiance, moving her hand so that they caught a flash of the short swords she had strapped to her waist. The mages of this world preferred staffs, not swords.

"Terribly sorry sir." The man that had spoken before apologized.

"You got a problem, grunt?" he scowled at the second soldier who wore a rather skeptic look on his face.

"Which department do you work for, _sir?_"

Kurogane growled low in her throat, emitting such a threatening aura it made the men take a couple of steps back in alarm.

"What exactly are you trying to insinuate?" he hissed softly, taking a step towards the man as he reached for his sword. Sakura almost felt bad for the poor man, "are you so blind after the sunset that you cannot even see the rank of your superior officer? You very well _know_ what department I work for." He spat, "What's your name?"

"S-Sir?" the man stuttered as he nervously licked his dry lips. In the light being cast by the lamps overhead, she could see the sweat that dotted the grunt's brow.

"What's your name?" Kurogane repeated in an irritated manner, "You come under Bauld, I presume. I need to have a word with him about the type of fools he's trusting to guard Metropolis."

"H-Hiro Weston." The man stuttered, growing pale under Kurogane's heated glare. "I apologize for my actions sir."

"You!" he barked at the other grunt who immediately blanched at the ninja's attention. "What's your name?"

"C-Captain Weaselby Krover, sir!"

"Very well _captain_, what is the status of the other guards?" he questioned sharply, oozing irritation and annoyance from every pore of his being.

"Sir?"

"Is that all you two shitheads can say?" he growled. "I asked you a question. I'm heading out for the forest with my apprentice shortly and I need to know whether the complex is protected well enough for me to leave or not. I don't have to check each and every post for myself, do I? How many guard have you stationed at every post? And what time do they change shifts?"

Sakura was inwardly glad that this captain was such a cowardly and rather slightly foolish man. The other grunt, although lower in rank had been smart enough to not believe what he saw at face value. Of course, Kurogane's irritated glower was more than enough to quell that man's doubts. She had no idea the red-eyed man could actually put on such a convincing act since acting had always been Fai's thing. But Kurogane could do just as wonderfully. Or maybe it was just that he could act the part of an irritated superior so well because he himself had served as Tomoyo-hime's royal guard. He had to have been in-charge of other guards and what he was doing right now was no different than what he used to do back when he was still serving the Miko princess.

"Four guards are currently stationed at the northern and western posts," the captain recited quickly, "five for the southern and three at the eastern post. Their shifts have only just started an hour before sunset."

"And what time do they change captain?"

"Dawn, sir!"

"I will overlook your behavior this time, Weston," he turned to the other soldier, "but make sure it doesn't happen again or you might find yourself out of a job, understand?"

"Sir!"

"Carry on." He waved at them dismissively, motioning for Sakura to follow him as he walked away. Casting one last glance in the direction of the suddenly relieved footmen, Sakura turned around and followed after the ninja in disguise.

-0-

Syaoran stood off to the side, watching as the silver-haired woman hit Fai before forcibly kissing him as she murmured questions to him. He really wished Fai had chosen to keep up with the façade of still being under the influence of the drug. Because at least, like that, that vile woman would never have been tempted to do to him what happened next.

As she inquired Fai about the source of his magic, a feeling of dread overcame Syaoran. It was bad. It was really, really bad. If she was interested in his magic, there was no doubt that… she had decided he was of no more use to her. Fai had managed to convince her that he won't be giving away the location of the essence but… it was at the cost of his own value to the hunters. They did not need him anymore. And Syaoran knew what that meant. They were going to kill Fai, very, very soon.

He couldn't wait around for the others to come rescue Fai. He had no idea when they would get there. For all he knew, it could still be a few weeks before they even arrived in this world. Time flowed differently between dimensions. Fai didn't have the luxury of time on his side anymore. He had to get the blond out and he had to get him out right then. Of course, he had not tried this before now for the sole reason that the hunters might blame the heart attacks on Fai's magic and that would draw attention to how dangerous he was despite all their attempts to restrain him. They might just decide to kill him to avoid the trouble. But now that they had decided to kill him anyways, Syaoran had no qualms with attacking the hunters to help the older man.

Just as her hand shot out to slap him, Syaoran plunged his hand into her chest, knowing from his experience with Fai that crushing her heart might give the blond enough time to actually do something about his situation. No one ever came in to check on them when the woman was here with him. So he'd have a few hours to figure a way to get him out.

"The blade that's pushed into your shoulder is made out Cerelium, Fai," the woman spoke as she twisted the metal blade in his shoulder with a sharp grin. Shocked that he had been unable to affect her at all, he tried again only to get the same results. "The drug that we pumped into your blood to restrict you from using your magic is a compound of this wonderful metal. Did you know that if a magical being is exposed to this metal in its purest form, there are some interesting reactions that occur?"

Why was it having no effect on that woman? His arm was buried halfway inside her ribcage yet she did not even so much as flinch, her grin only widening as she continued with her tirade. "It is said to cause the loss of all motor functions if a mage is kept in prolonged direct contact with it."

_Get away from him._ He hissed as the woman leered at Fai and licked away the blood that had blossomed across the cuts in his cheek, "Of course, their senses work just fine, it's just that their muscles end up getting locked in place. It's kind of funny you know," she told him in a soft murmur as her hands began to roam, "there's something about you that sets you apart from all those other things that have ended up here."

_I said get away from him! _Syaoran yelled, feeling panic bubble in his heart as he realized that he was truly powerless to prevent anything that might happen to Fai. "I can see now what Bauld meant about that wretched bitch. She fought back. I'd even say she fought almost as hard as you…" she paused, as though waiting for Fai to respond. Syaoran wished for nothing more than being solid enough to punch her in the face as the woman laughed at the muffled noises of protest that formed in Fai's mouth. "Of course, Bauld has a way of breaking his playthings after a while."

"This defiance of yours…" she kissed him again, her next words freezing Syaoran as the world seemed to turn to ice around him. "It's almost refreshing. I'm going to miss it." he had been right! They were going to kill Fai. They were going to kill him. He… he had to do something. He couldn't just stand by and watch as they killed a friend. Despite knowing it to be useless, he spun around, his right leg flying through the air in a roundhouse kick, which had it not uselessly sailed right through her body, would have sent her crashing into the wall. Fai whimpered as she tore open the blisters on his back, "Let's make the most of what little time you've got left, shall we?"

Syaoran froze in his place, his eyes going wide as the reality of just what it was that the woman was about to do settled in his mind. She was… No! Not to Fai… He couldn't let it happen to the man that had been something of an older brother to both him and Sakura during their journey. He had to do something. Anything. But even as these thoughts rushed through his head, he could only watch as she pulled out another dagger and used it to carve another line of blood, this time across Fai's collarbone. She followed the bleeding cut with her finger before bringing it to her lips. "I'm starting to realize that I also have a habit of breaking my playthings. It's a pity..." she pouted in fake annoyance, "you were such a delight till now."

With those words, her hands traced lower down Fai's chest, the blade making shallow cuts every so often_. _

_Fai-san?_ He spoke, trying to get his friend's attention as her hand went lower still. He couldn't physically help him, but if Fai were to regain the use of his limbs, surely he could do something. _Fai-san,_ he called again. Why wasn't the blond fighting off the effects of that blade? Drugs had not been involved to paralyze him this time so it was all in his head anyways. It had to be. The mage should be able to free himself through his willpower. If only the blond would… do something. Anything! _Fai-san, snap out of it!_

Her hand moved past his navel and Syaoran could only yell at the blond to get his attention, helplessly watching with increasing horror as the woman grinned and forced the blond into another kiss.

-0-

_Fai-san._ He could hear Syaoran call his name, from somewhere to his right but he didn't respond. The knife that had kept him paralyzed had been removed some time ago but his hands were still bound behind his back, the metal cuffs digging into his skin. He could hear the slow occasional drip, drip, drip of his blood as it fell to the floor. The blindfold had been removed from his eyes and he could see the small, dimly lit cell he was in. But it all seemed like it was in a whole other world. He was inside a tiny space, a tiny, tiny room. Watching the world outside through a little glass window.

"_This is the room where Bauld broke your little virgin."_

"_Why won't you say anything, Fai? Don't you like this?"_

"_What's this? Not even a word? Your bitch at least screamed at Bauld the first time."_

"_My my… I guess I might have broken you after all. Such a shame. I rather enjoyed your company when you fought back."_

He couldn't completely escape though. Her words kept on replaying over and over again inside his head, stuck in an endless loop that taunted him. Mocked him. Proved to him that despite all his power and magic, he was in the end, only human.

_Fai-san, please…_ that was Syaoran speaking to him, right?

No… he wasn't in here with him. Syaoran was in that other world.

"_This is the room where Bauld broke your little virgin."_ Her whispered words echoed in his ear. Why was she in here? No one… no one should have been able to get inside. _"Why won't you say anything, Fai? Don't you like this?"_

_Fai-san, can you hear me? _He could. But he couldn't dredge up the energy needed to respond. He'd have to break through the glass window and go to that other world. He… he didn't want that.

"_Not even a word?"_ that silky voice brushed his insides, mocking and full of scorn. He was supposed to be alone here!_ "Your bitch at least screamed at Bauld the first time."_

His mind had still not managed to catch up with all that had happened to him, so he had retreated here. To this tiny room in another world where there was supposed to be no one else. But then, why did she keep on repeating those cruel words over and over again. He blinked once, the thick haze that settled all around him vanishing for a brief moment before reasserting its hold on him and his surroundings.

_Say something, please. _Say something? Like what? What was there to say?

Crack.

A tiny break appeared in the glass window.

"_My my…"_ her breath ghosted over his skin, "_I guess I might have broken you after all."_

Crraack… the break snaked across its fragile surface.

"_Such a shame."_ No! The glass wasn't supposed to crack. It was supposed to stay solid. Frozen over like a sheet of ice. It was supposed to be the barrier between his world and the outside._ "I rather enjoyed your company when you fought back."_

Something cold and frozen touched his shoulder and his breath caught up in his throat.

"…_Bauld... your little virgin… Even… bitch… screamed… the first time."_ Her whispers grew louder, faster. The sentences jumbling over each until it was all just a garbled mess, _"won't you… Fai... like this…"_

Crack.

_Fai-san, you're shaking._

No. He wasn't shaking. He was breathing.

Craack.

"_Enjoyed… fought back… won't you…"_

… _you answer me?_

He… he couldn't… why was it so suffocating?

"…_might… broken… after all… Fai…"_

Crrack.

He needed air… he couldn't… the touch on his shoulder…

"_Such a shame… screamed… first time…"_

CRACK!

The glass shattered, spraying his face and arms and chest with billions of tiny shards. He could feel blood flowing down his skin, his face, his stomach, his legs. It was pooling about his feet. With a jolt he was thrown back in that other world. He could hear Syaoran speaking right next to him. He was no longer in that tiny space, his tiny, tiny room. The glass window separating him from everything else was gone. He could feel the tremors shaking his entire body, he could feel the cold biting at his exposed flesh, he could feel it all. Her voice had followed him back to this world. It was loud. But now he could feel her touch. Her breath. Her hands. Her lips. Everywhere.

"_Tell me… Fai…"_

All around him.

"_Enjoy this…_"

Drowning him.

"_Say something, Fai._"

Suffocating him.

"_What's wrong, Fai?_"

Taunting him.

"S-sh…"

"_Why won't you say something?"_

Haunting him.

"…p"

_What did you say, Fai-san?_

"_Don't you like it?"_

Mocking him.

"Sh-ut… up…" he rasped.

"_Your virgin was such a screamer, Fai."_ Her voice was still there.

_What? _Syaoran's startled eyes appeared in his line of vision but he couldn't care.

"_Won't you scream too?" _She was still there. Why… why was she still there?

"Get out… of my head…"

"_Oh Fai, you know you want this."_

"Get out…"

"_You like it."_

"Shut up…"

"_Say it, Fai."_

"Leave me alone…" he squeezed his eyes, shaking his head as though the physical motion itself would dislodge that voice from his mind, "Go away… get out of my head… shut up… shut up… shut up… Get out of my head. Just shut up! Getoutgetoutgetout!"

_F-Fai-san…_

"Go away…" he whimpered, trying to cover his ears by hunkering his shoulders. The bonds restraining his hands prevented him doing that. "Leave me alone!" he growled, tugging at his arms in an attempt to free them, "get out! Leave… go away!"

_Fai-san! Stop it! You're hurting yourself._

"_You're not so strong now, are you Fai?"_

"Get out of my head!"

"_You're weak."_

"No!" He pulled harder, not caring as his wrists started bleeding anew.

_Fai-san, stop it!_

"_Powerless."_

"No!"

"_Pathetic."_

_You're bleeding! Stop pulling like that!_

"_All the magic in the world can't help you now."_

"Shut up! Shut up!"

"_Nothing can help you now."_

"Leave me alone!" he snarled, his body arching in an awkward manner as he attempted to stand. "Get lost! Shut-" he froze, staring wide-eyed at the familiar amber-eyes that were narrowed in a determined frown. Cold, ghostly fingers brushed his face before moving on to his shoulders, somewhat attempting to push him back. As though a switch had been flipped, the voices went away, leaving him alone with the sound of his own shuddering breath and ragged sobs. When had he started crying?

_Fai-san, calm down. There is no one here but you and me._

But… she had been right there. She had been…

_You… You need to calm down, Fai-san. Just breathe, okay?_

"S-Syaoran…kun…"

_Yes, it's me. _The brunette's ghostly hands pushed him back and he slumped into the chair, _You need to calm down Fai-san. You're only hurting yourself._

"I-I… S-She…"

_Just breathe. Don't think about it right now. Don't think about anything. Just… breathe._

"…" like a child being told what to do, Fai followed the apparition's instructions perfectly.

In.

Out.

In.

Out.

In.

"_It's not going to work, Fai."_

His breath hitched. Oh God… he… he could hear her again. She was back…

_Fai-san!_

No… it was just in his head. Only Syaoran was here with him.

"…breathe…" he murmured, returning his focus on the action.

Out.

In.

Out.

"_You really think you'll get over this?"_

He flinched, but forced himself not to stop.

_That right, Fai-san. Just concentrate on that. _

"_Face it Fai." _Her breath ghosted over his skin, her lips brushing softly against the shell of his ear. "_You're broken."_

He twitched a little but did not let go of his focus on his breathing.

_You just have to hold on a little longer._

"They're coming," he forced himself to meet the brunette's gaze, "aren't they?"

_Very soon. Just… _The boy nodded, his expression turning a little distraught, letting the blond see his fear and frustration at the situation for the first time. _Please,_ j_ust hold on until then._ He was scared. Even in his current state of mind, Fai could tell that the brunette was scared. It was evident in the desperate way he looked at him, his eyes silently pleading him to hold on to the last threads of sanity for a just a little longer.

"Don't worry, Syaoran-kun," he replied softly, averting his gaze as he said so because he could not bear to lie to the scared brunette as he looked him in the eye, "I'll hold on."

"_Will you, Fai? Will you really?"_

Shut up! He mentally snarled at the voice, clenching his fists in silent rage as he did so.

_**A/N: So she managed to break him. Sorta. Writing Fai all confused and panicked and incoherent is the most fun part of writing him for some reason. Or well, it was when I wrote this chapter. I don't really write anything explicit of that sort even if I ended up implying what happened to Fai in this chapter in somewhat clear terms I don't have the stomach to actually **_**write**_** that**__**sort of stuff. **_

_**Leave a review and tell me what you think.**_


	32. Bound and Distraught

"And this is where we grow our food." Masooma told him with a hint of pride to her tone as she stopped the wheelchair next to a seemingly endless pasture. She had decided to bring him out of his room after feeding him and letting him rest for a little while. "The sunlight is plenty thanks to the enchantments placed on the ceiling of this cavern so even if this light is only magical in nature it's almost like we're growing food on the surface. It's pretty convenient I'd say. We can have the sun at any time of the day that we want."

"Masooma-san…" his throat flashed as he struggled to speak, his eyes dully staring at his knees, "why are you… helping me?"

"Because even if you don't remember it," she replied softly, "we were friends, Syaoran. And you are very important to someone I love."

"Who… is it?" he asked hesitantly, almost looking like he expected her to hit him for his question. She only gave him a sad smile in return as she shook her head.

"I'll tell you about him someday." She perked up, "now, how about we go soak in a little bit of sunlight, hmm? You sure look like you could use a few hours' worth."

"…okay." He nodded slowly.

"Great." She beamed brightly, pushing the wheelchair towards the small walkways built in the middle of the field that led to a raised platform with a few tables and chairs set up on it. "We'll enjoy some sun and I'll tell you about a few of misadventures as an apprentice to a High Mage. There was this one time I was practicing transportation spells and…" Chattering animatedly, she led him into the magical sunlight, mentally working on her plans to go about his healing.

-0-

Fai was dragged out of his tiny cell with his arms still tied behind his back. He could hear Syaoran following right behind him as he was moved through various corridors and down various stairways until they reached a corridor that smelt musty and damp, the stench of blood permeating the air like a thick cloud. His captors' destination seemed to be the heavy-looking door at the end of the corridor. It had a small square glass panel fit near the top but apart from that panel, it was made completely out of metal. A muffled yelp escaped his throat as he was unceremoniously pushed through the doorway before it closed behind him. Just as his captors grabbed him arms once more, it hit him like a punch to the gut that Syaoran had frozen in the hallways outside. Fai struggled against his captors' hold, trying to attract the spirit's attention without drawing the attention of the hunters, panic setting it's on his mind. He couldn't be leaving him, not now!

In a desperate attempt to capture the apparition's attention, he cried out the brunette's name, though it came out as nothing more than a gurgle. Whatever they had given him made his tongue feel like it had swollen to twice its usual size. Ignoring his struggles, they hoisted him upwards onto a long, flat, metal table, quickly untying his hands and clicking thick metal cuffs around his wrists and ankles, pulling a leather strap over his abdomen. He squirmed uselessly in his place as the fear he had been working so hard to keep at bay threatened to overwhelm him.

"Now, no more of that jerking around, Fai." Said the voice that had been crooning inside his head all night. "After all, you move around too much and I might damage that precious magical core."

"_You know you like it Fai."_

A strangled gasp escaped his lips as the woman stepped into his line of vision, grinning widely as she held up a thin silver blade with a tapered edge. He shook his head, struggling to push away from her but held in place by the metal cuffs. Eyes wide with fear, he watched she brought the blade to his face. He flinched as she drew a thin line along his left cheek, slowly licking the blood off the metal tip. It became harder and harder to draw every successive breath as she grinned at him, growing closer and closer until their noses almost touched. "What's the matter, Fai?"

"_Not so powerful now, are you Fai?"_

No! Struggling to shake his head, he opened his mouth trying to scream as he failed to call on his magic. Why wasn't it coming? Why couldn't he feel it? Where… where was his magic? He had to get away. He needed to get away. He did not want her to be near him. He… he did not want to stay there. He had to find a way out of that place. Away from her. Somewhere far away where she wouldn't be able to… why wasn't his magic coming forth? And where was Syaoran? He had promised he'd stay with him but he had left him alone. He had told him to hold on and wait for the others but… he had just left him alone. With _her_! Why… Why had he gone back on his word?

"_You're weak."_

Why hadn't the others come for him? Where were they? He knew how hard it was to break in to this place. What if… what if they had decided he was not worth the effort? What if they thought he wasn't important enough to be saved? What if they didn't care for him anymore… it had been so long ago since he had come here to save Syaoran.

"_Pathetic."_

Trembling uncontrollably, he could only look as she reached inside her jacket and brought out the same blade as the one she had used on him numerous times before. Eyes wide, he shook his head as she brought the knife to his chest, carving a shallow cut in his skin that stung when she traced it with a nail. Grinning ferally, she met his stare for a moment, something shifting behind her eyes as she plunged the nail into his flesh, ripping a strangled cry from his throat. It hurt. It hurt so _much_.

Pain. That was all he had known for so long. How long ago had it been now when it had all started? Three months? Four? A year perhaps? He couldn't recall anything anymore.

"What's wrong, Fai?" her breath brushed against the shell of his ear as her hair tickled his flesh. He froze, the feeling of phantom hands roaming all over him, robbing his frozen body of all warmth as they raked patterns across his skin, her teeth, biting, nipping and scratching, her lips… something inside of him snapped, letting forth a side of him that only ever came out to protect him. Growling like a deranged animal, he arched his back against the table, muscles straining as strength born of fear and desperation worked to break his bonds.

"Still fighting, Fai?" the woman crooned, laughing in delight as he snapped his teeth at her just as she drew back. His claws gouged deeply into the metal surface with sickening screeches as he pushed against it. Thrashing wildly against his bonds, he snarled at the woman when she came close again, "Go to hell!" the paralyzing effect of the Cerelium cuffs diminished enough for him to be able to speak when his vampire side came forth.

"How do you do that?" her tone took a curious edge as she fingered his face, her nails tracing down his right cheek. Growling deep in his throat, he snapped at her hand again. "You truly are one of a kind, Fai." She grinned as she withdrew her hand, twirling her knife in the fingers of her other. "It's too bad we have been ordered to do this now. I would have _loved_ to push you to your limits."

He cried out in pain as she slammed the knife in his shoulder, the metal grinding nauseatingly against bone. Even as he struggled to free himself, he could feel its paralyzing effects acting on his body. He caught a flash of silver as the woman turned away from him and began fiddling with something in a metal tray on a smaller table a little ways away from him.

"_What is the source of your magic?"_

His breath froze inside his chest. It all made sense now. They… they no longer needed him alive. They had found other uses for him… Oh God! They were- the woman placed the tapered blade in his field of vision as she grinned at him before turning back to the smaller table. He heard the snap of rubber as the woman pulled on a pair of white gloves. Humming cheerfully, she delicately picked up the blade and circled around the table he was strapped on to, to the wall above his head. There was a soft click that interrupted her humming as a glaring light pierced his eyes. Automatically his lids slid shut to protect his eyes from the assault of that blinding light.

"Ready Fai?" she crooned as he cracked his eyes open.

No! He struggled to shake his head, only managing in making her grin wider, Oh God, please no. the grin transformed into a frown as he began to fight off the effects of Cerelium embedded in his shoulder, struggling wildly. The strap around his torso tore apart with a loud snap as his back arched impossibly high. He couldn't breathe. He couldn't… oh God, he couldn't find his magic. He had to get away. He… had to get away! She was going to kill him. He couldn't die. Masooma was waiting for him to come back. He couldn't leave her waiting for him forever. He had promised her he'd be okay. He… he promised her and he- _where was his magic!_

The shackles began to creak as he pulled, blood flowing freely from the wounds around his wrists and ankles, the metallic odor consuming his senses as he fought, causing his mind to blank out for a moment.

He did not feel it as the metal pierced his flesh, tearing open the muscles with its sharp tip as he thrashed about but he definitely felt the burning liquid as it flowed through his veins, paralyzing his body as it spread through his bloodstream. Fear like he had never felt it before, violently clenched its icy claws around his heart, squeezing painfully hard as he fell limp against the metal surface, with only his eyes retaining their ability to move. All expressions of mirth gone from her face, the woman stepped into his field of vision once more.

"What a curious creature you are." She murmured, her eyes roaming all over his body as her cold, icy fingers traced his cheek, trailing down his jaw-line to his neck to his chest all the way to his navel. "Such a pity we have to do this now." She breathed almost regretfully as she raised the tapered knife and lowered it to his skin.

Oh God… she was going to slice him open. She was going to _slice _him open while he was still awake!

"No matter," She shook her head positioning the blade properly and pressing down lightly, "I'm still quite curious to find out what makes you tick."

-0-

"You pick up a few things when travelling with that idiot," he grumbled in a way of explanation as the two of them trudged through the tunnels that led to the underground city. Unfortunately, they ended up getting rather lost when they took a wrong turn, making the walk that should only have been about five minutes long take thrice as long.

"I see." She nodded, "I thought it was because you had been part of Tomoyo-hime's guard for so long, you had been able to intimidate them so easily."

"Being Tomoyo-hime's most trusted bodyguard helped as well," he responded gruffly, "I was put in charge of a bunch of morons. Although, they were a little less dumb when compared to the ones we came across today." He added with a little scoff as they came upon the entrance to a brilliantly lit cave.

"I thought it was night." Sakura murmured in confusion as she squinted at the sun glaring down at them from the middle of the opening in the cave.

"Enchantments," Kurogane grunted, "this is the place where they grow their food since they sure as hell can't do it outside."

"It's quite an amazing piece of magic," she commended, "I've never seen anything like it before."

"You should see some of the other things these mages have done," he shook his head, "I still don't understand why they don't just fight back against those hunters. The Mage kept blabbering about some pact with the Shaman. If I were in their place, I'd cut off the head of that damned bastard and go after those hunters."

"Maybe the Shaman is too powerful for them to oppose?"

"Then why doesn't that bastard do something to help these idiots himself? It's almost like he enjoys their misery."

"…"

"Princess?" Kurogane turned his gaze away from the magical sun and turned to look at the girl beside him. She seemed to be staring at something in the field with bloodshot eyes. He followed her line of vision and felt his breath catch in his throat.

"Syaoran…" right there in the middle of the fields on a raised platform sat the brunette in a wheelchair with the medic seated o,kn bench. The raven-head appeared to be talking rather animatedly, though her voice was too soft to carry over to them. He saw the crippled boy nod lightly at various intervals- a small, barely there smile adorning his lips. Though his eyes still held that vacant look.

"Come on, Princess," he said, placing a hand on the girl's shoulder, "We should leave before he sees us." As though drawn by the ninja's words, Syaoran turned to look in their direction, the smile vanishing from his face as he grew white as a sheet.

"Kurogane, Miss Sakura," Captain Numero's voice interrupted whatever the two were about to do. "Nixon has requested you come to his chambers immediately. It is a matter of utmost importance that you speak with him as soon as possible. He asked me to pass on a message. 'Time's up.'"

"Direct us to our rooms first." Kurogane ordered as he followed the man, pulling the princess along before she could have done something foolish like going after Syaoran. There was the issue of their wish to consider after all. "We need to pick something up before we go meet with him."

_**A/N: Things are going hell in a hand basket for Fai. In the words of my Beta, it's a race against the clock now. Who think the others will beat it and make it to Fai in time? Pretty much everyone wants a piece of her by now but who should be the one to kill the nameless woman in your opinion? I have someone in mind but I'd still like to hear who you think deserves to strike that blow.**_


	33. Because he loved her

_**A/N: Man, what a week this has been. I'm literally being buried under work. The only reason I continue updating this story is because I wrote all the way up to chapter 35 a while back, so lucky you. I've got finals in about three week's time so unless I get attacked by a very persistent bunny, I might not be writing any further than what I already have until after the end of my exams. Figured I should let you guys know in advance that the constant stream of updates might not last forever. **_

_**On an unrelated note, I dropped my laptop on my foot (before you ask, don't worry the laptop is fine -_-) and now I have a hairline fracture in my foot. I've been limping around all week since I can't put any pressure on my swollen foot. Despite my beta's (and a very good friend's) persistent nagging I have been too lazy to go see a doctor though. My dad wanted me to go too but I honestly don't have the time to do that. Do you have any idea how annoying it is to be working on balance sheets and income statements and cash flow statements? I'm an engineering student. Why the heck do they want me to make a business plan? (We're commercializing a hybridized car that can run on petrol and electricity .) My brain starts hurting from calculating and recalculating all those numbers because we keep on having to change one thing or another since we can't generate enough profit by the end of third year. *sighs* as if that wasn't bad enough, I've got three other projects to worry about on top of that two of which I haven't even started on yet and they're due in two weeks! Someone kill me now. T_T What's worse is that I can't even wear heels until my foot has properly healed since I shouldn't put any strain on it. You can't wear flats to presentations that require you to look all formal and dressed up! Grr… anyhow, I should stop ranting now and let you get on with the story. **_

_**No Fai or Syaoran this time but trust me, what happens in this chapter is pretty important even if it might seem a little annoying since I left you all hanging on such a cliffy last time. But you might end up thanking me for this little break since what's about to come up in next chapter will have several of you coming after me with pitchforks and torches. But then again, I upped the rating for that very reason so maybe not. ^_^;**_

"_What's wrong with you and the healer?" _

Nixon sighed, letting his body fall backwards, landing with a dull thump on the bed. Running his fingers through his hair, he sat up.

"_Yeah, she's avoiding you."_

"Understatement of the century." He muttered with a humorless laugh.

Masooma had not just been avoiding him. She had been going out of her way to not cross paths with him. And that was _something_ given that she was a guardian, just like him. He knew the timing had been all wrong and that she was just as worried about Fai as he was if not more, but… he had almost lost her. Had she killed those hunters, the Shaman would have taken her life for sure. And that was something he would never allow. Not because of the promise he made to Fai when he had made the blonde send them away from Celes, but because of what he felt for the raven-headed witch. He had known her for far longer than Fai had, he had after all grown up with Masooma. They had both even gone to Celes together. In fact, one of the reasons why he had even tried out for that test had been her. But he had never had the courage to tell her what he felt, fearing he'd lose her friendship as well if things did not work out.

Of course, by the time he had convinced himself that she deserved to know, she had already gotten together with Fai. Shortly after that, they both had taken the final test for Oracle-hood and Fai had beaten him. The effect of the price on the blond had been slow at first, but as he started losing his sight, he started losing his magic and as he lost his magic, he lost the source of his life. Feeling selfish, he had considered the option of letting the blond die. After all, with Fai dead and Masooma devastated, Nixon would be the one she'd turn to for comfort and comfort her, he would. But seeing her day after day, as she remained by the other's side, hurting as much as the then Oracle, not even leaving his side to so much as eat, Nixon's resolve had crumbled. She truly loved Fai and Nixon knew he'd never be able to take the blonde's place in her heart.

He had been the second best choice for Oracle-hood and given the fact that the current one would not survive the transformation, he had gone and challenged Fai. Weakened and almost blind, the blue-eyed man had stood no chance against Nixon, easily shifting the burden that nearly took his life to the dark-haired man. Unlike with Fai, the loss of his sight had been instantaneous. The blond had been smart enough to guess the reason why Nixon had saved his life even if the latter had tried to be snarky about it. He had snubbed the other man's attempts at talking to him at first, but Fai had cornered him at the infirmary that night when there had been no one else around to act as a shield for the Oracle to use.

"_You love her, don't you?" He heard Fai approach the bed he had been on for almost a day now. He strained his ears to try and discern if Masooma had come along but he only heard silence. It must have showed on his face because Fai continued. "I just got Masooma to sleep… She had been straining herself far too much, these past few weeks."_

"…"

"_Thanks you, for saving my life." he felt the High Mage's weight pressed against the mattress as he sat beside him. Not in a mood to talk to the man, Nixon turned his back on the blond. _

"_I didn't do it for you." he grunted, fisting his hands into the sheets as he imagined the look on the other man's face._

"_I know," he heard the blond sigh, "It doesn't take a genius to figure out why you did it and it sure as hell wasn't because you because you wanted to save my life. You _hated _my guts. I'd be surprised if you didn't entertain the notion of letting me die."_

"_I did…" he bit out as he clenched his sightless eyes. "I was willing to let you die if it meant…" he shook his head, "why are you here anyways?"_

"_I came to thank you, and… to apologize." Another sigh. Had Fai approached him with the intention of apologizing in the past, he'd have gloated and taunted the other man. But now… he just wanted him to leave him alone. _

"_I'm sorry for the way I have acted in the past." The blond said as he placed a hand on Nixon's shoulder, "I know you didn't do it for me, but there is something I need to do before I die…" Immediately, his newly acquired powers provided him with information about the blonde's mission, "You gave me another chance to accomplish that and for that… I owe you. I love Masooma…" Nixon grit his teeth to keep himself from making a scathing remark. He could always make the other man leave by being callous and taunting the blond for what he thought he did even if he had been led to believe it, but new Oracle had known the terms that applied to an Oracle. He could 'see' what was to come in return for his sight and he could influence the events that were to come in return for his silence. He would never be able to tell anyone anything outright, relying on small hints at most to help them out. "But I now know that so do you…" Nixon took in a deep breath to keep himself from cursing right then and there. "If you-" _

"_Don't." The raven-head cut in. "Please just don't."_

"_Nixon, I-"_

"_As much as it hurts me to say it," he talked over the blond, "Masooma loves _you._ Even if you did what I know you're about to offer me, I'd never be able to take your place… you are the one that makes her happy. I love her too much to take that away from her and if… you make that offer now, I'd hate myself forever because I know I would never say no… I'm selfish like that," he sighed, "so please, don't. I don't want to take her happiness from her just so I can be with her."_

_The silence that stretched between them was one of the longest that Nixon had ever experienced in his entire life. He could almost see the thoughts that were rushing through Fai's head._

"_I'd appreciate it if you could keep this to yourself." He said softly to break it._

"_You won't tell her?" disbelief was all that colored the blonde's tone._

"_It won't accomplish anything." Was all that he said in return._

He wasn't really sure how but shortly after they had had that conversation, a friendship had budded between the two. Fai had enchanted the daggers for Nixon as the Oracle had been adjusting to his new life as a blind mage. Masooma had helped him along all the way and there had been so many times he had wanted nothing more than to take Fai up on the unsaid offer that he knew still stood. All he had to do was say the word and he would have been able to take Masooma for himself. But he never said those words, pretending to move on, if only to get the blond to stop giving him that feeling that he could have her if he wanted.

This had been one of the reasons why he had never told Masooma. He did not want to put her in a position where she had to remake a choice she had already made unknowingly. But now… after so many years of trying to prevent it from happening, he had done it anyways. And it hurt… it still hurt him that he would never be able to be the one for her. He had convinced himself to be content with just being a friend to her but a part of him had been hoping all along that maybe… maybe she'd see him as something more. Her recent behavior had made it all more than clear for him though. He wished he could turn back time and take back that kiss. If this was the alternative, he was content with being just friends.

Pinching the bridge of his nose, Nixon let out another sigh. Tomorrow, they'd be rescuing Fai. He was free of his pact with the Shaman thanks to Masooma's wish. She had been foolish to take on such a heavy price on herself but he knew why she had done it. Now he just had to make sure her sacrifice wasn't in vain. Closing his unseeing eyes, he reached inside himself, following a soft green thread of light in a dark void until he reached the end and came upon a small floating orb that emitted a pale forest-green glow.

"Syaoran, are you there?"

_Nixon-san?_

"Yeah, it's me."

_Nixon-san, Fai-san can't hold on for much longer. That woman, she… Is Kurogane-san here yet?_

"Yeah, the princess if with him too."

_Sakura-chan came along as well? Nevermind… when are you coming? Fai-san, he… when are you coming?"_

"At dawn."

_Good. I don't know how much longer Fai-san will be able to hold it together. And… I think the hunters have realized he won't tell them what they want to know._

"Where is Fai now?" he asked somewhat sharply, only just then realizing that the pale blue thread that led him to Fai had snapped.

_They took him out of his cell._

"Where are you now?"

_I was following after him as they brought him down to lower level._

"They're bringing him to the lower levels?"

_I think this is the lowest level._

"Shit!"

_Nixon-san?_

"Syaoran, we're coming. Just stay with him till we get there. No matter what happens, _stay with Fai_." He cut off the connection before the spirit could respond in any manner. He looked around in the void, finding another thread. Following after it, he reached the orb he was looking for.

"Captain Neumro," he spoke, "I need you to head down to the sun-cavern. There you will find our guests. Pass a message to them and please bring them to my chambers."

-0-

"They're here…" Syaoran was white as a ghost as he stared at her with wide, disbelieving eyes.

"Syaoran-" Masooma bit her lip, furiously trying to think of some way to calm him down before he went into full-blown hysterics.

"Why are they h-here?" he cut her off, hyperventilating a little as he stared towards one of the entrances to the sun-cavern. Masooma did not see anyone there so she wondered if he had perhaps hallucinated his companions, "Are you… are you working for them?"

"Syaoran, listen to me," she shook her head, infusing her voice with a bit of soothing magic. "I'm-"

"You're working for them!" he cried out, interrupting her yet again. The Cerelium compound in his blood was making things really difficult.

"No," she tried again, taking a step towards him, "Syaoran, please-"

"Get away from me!" that was a bad move on her part apparently since the boy almost jumped out of the wheel-chair in his haste to put more distance between them. He fell to the ground with a pained yelp, shaking his head as he started backing away.

"Syaoran listen," she held up her hands in a placating manner as she reinforced the magic fueling the soothing spell, "I'm not-"

"Haven't you done enough already?" he growled angrily, glaring at her momentarily before turning around to crawl away using his hands as his lower body refused to support his attempts of escape.

"You'll hurt yourself!" she called out, noticing the blood that had started to stain his t-shirt. The fall had probably ripped open one of his stitches.

"Like you care." The brunette snarled, acting very much like a cornered animal as he doubled his efforts in getting away from her, "_Stay away._"

"Stop it." unable to take it, she closed the distance between them, quickly crouching down to grab hold of his wrists, "I'm trying to help you."

"No you're not." He shouted, trying to push her away at the same time as he struggled to free himself from her grip, "Get away from me!"

"… No." she had to find a way to curb his paranoia. Doing as he wished might momentarily sooth him but it would only do more harm in the long run. She had to somehow show him that he had nothing to fear if she were to help him recover even a little.

"No. S-stay away. " he stuttered, weakly tugging at his wrists, "Don't… don't touch me. Let me go!"

"I'm not letting go Syaoran." She replied firmly, silently pleading for him to see that she meant him no harm. A plan slowly began to form in her mind but she was hesitant to act on it. After all, she had hoped for him to recover a little more physically before working on the mental aspects of his healing but if this kept up…

"L-leave me..."

"No." she reiterated.

"Let g-go… let go of me!" he was at the beginning of an all-out panic attack.

"Make me." Having no other choice, she cast the spell, plunging them both into his mind, the dull thuds of two bodies hitting the ground being the only sound that echoed inside the suddenly silent sun-cavern.

_**A/N: So who feels sorry for Nixon? I know I do. For some reason, he reminds me of Damon from The Vampire Diaries even though I only started watching that show a couple of weeks back. A friend said he kinda looks like him too after she saw the picture I put of him and Masooma on deviantart. **_

_**I just realized that Broken has almost reached the 300 review mark. I honestly never thought this story would get so popular but I want to thank everyone who stuck with it through all the blood and gore and torture (that might be the reason why you stuck around but thanks for it all the same. ^_^) wish me luck with the difficult road ahead you guys. Until next time. **_

_**-Obsidian.**_


	34. Bleed No More?

_**A/N: It's New Year. Thought you guys would appreciate an update. Enjoy!**_

The only other time Syaoran could recall feeling as helpless as he did then was when his precious Sakura had lost her memories and was dying because her body did not have enough energy to sustain her life-force. But at least back then, he had been able to do something to help her, even if that something had involved giving up his cherished friendship with her just so he could use Mokona's services to keep her alive. But now… he could do nothing. Not one fucking thing!

He screamed himself hoarse telling the bitch to leave Fai alone, he exhausted his body trying in vain to kick her, punch her, hit her… do anything at all to get her away from the blond. But his voice remained unheard, his body, formless. Heck he even tried entering Fai's mind to try and convince the magician to fight back but without Nixon there to help him form the initial connection, Syaoran was truly, utterly useless. He wasn't sure how long it was but the woman finally left Fai alone, untying the blindfold from his eyes and pulling out the dagger from his shoulder as she kissed him one last time, crooning in his ear with a satisfied smirk before leaving him there, tied to the chair with his arms bound behind his back.

Hesitantly, feeling guilt wrench at his gut, he had approached the magician, calling out his name to get his attention. It wasn't truly surprising when Fai did not respond. Still, without giving up hope, he had called out his name again, walking up to the man until he stood before him. The blond was trapped in a trance-like state, his blue eyes glazed over but open wide as he stared at nothing. Syaoran tried in vain to gain his attention, growing worried when even after several hours, the mage did not move, did not blink, did not do anything except stare straight on ahead with that dead, not-quite-there expression on his face. Fear began to replace the guilt as Syaoran tried again and again, calling out the older man's name to no avail. That was until he touched him. something seemed to shift behind those blank blue eyes as the blond finally did something other than mimic a lifeless marionette. He murmured something. The words were so soft however that Syaoran barely caught them. Leaning a little closer, he asked the blond to repeat the words, only to grow even more confused when what he said made no sense at all. before he could ask the magician to elaborate, the blond started trembling, his eyes darting all around him, a jumbled incoherent mess of words tumbling out of his lips.

Before Syaoran could do anything, he started yelling, tugging wildly at his bonds as his back arched away from the chair, feet scrabbling against the filthy, wet floor as they struggled to find enough purchase. His screams grew louder, more desperate as he fought violently, blood flowing freely from his injured wrists as the cuffs restraining them cut deep into his flesh. Fearing for the man, Syaoran did the only thing he could think of, holding his breath in anticipation as Fai froze mid-yell when the spirit's hands partially held on to the magician's shoulders. Swallowing back the fear that now threatened to overwhelm him, for he wasn't sure how much longer Fai would be able to hold on given his current state, he tried to calm the blond. He tried to put up a strong front, telling him to keep it all together for just a little while longer. The others couldn't be that far along now. Nixon had promised him they'd be coming soon enough. But he wasn't sure how much more of it all could he take. Even if nothing was happening to him, watching Fai go through it all was nothing less than torture in itself. Especially since he was unable to do anything to help him at all.

Fai had promised him he'd hold on until the others got there but the slightly crazed look in his eyes as he made that promise only served to scare Syaoran even more. Silently he had prayed for the others to hurry up, watching the magician closely for any signs of a relapse of his earlier episode. But hours went by and thankfully, the blond stayed true to his word. Even as the hunters' cronies came by and slipped a needle under Fai's skin to pump his bloodstream with some sort of drug, the older man kept it together.

Syaoran followed after Fai as the blond was dragged out of the cell and towards the lower levels soon after that. He felt the familiar tingle of the Oracle's magic as the blind man tried to contact him.

"Syaoran, are you there?" He froze in his footsteps as he heard the guardian's voice inside his head. _Nixon-san? _Latching on to the connection, he replied.

"Yeah, it's me." he heard the Oracle's confirmation.

_Nixon-san,"_ all the panic that he had been pushing down for the past several hours bubbled to te surface, tumbling out of him in the form of words. _Fai-san can't hold on for much longer. That woman, she…_ No matter what, he could not bring himself to say it out loud so he questioned him instead _Is Kurogane-san here yet?_

"Yeah, the princess is with him too."

_Sakura-chan came along as well?_ He was a little surprised he knew it wasn't the time to question her reason for coming,_ Nevermind… when are you coming? Fai-san, he… _ he trailed off, casting a distracted glance in the direction were the hunters had taken Fai, the door at the end of the hallway was closed, _when are you coming?"_

"At dawn." Nixon replied as Syaoran resumed walking towards the door.

_Good. I don't know how much longer Fai-san will be able to hold it together._ _And… _he stopped walking for a bit, pausing to draw in a breath to steel himself. He knew he had to tell Nixon about it, _I think the hunters have realized he won't tell them what they want to know._

"Where is Fai now?" Syaoran could sense the alarm in the Oracle's voice.

_They took him out of his cell._ He answered, a little puzzled as he started feeling vibes of worry that were not his own.

"Where are you now?"

_I was following after him as they brought him down to lower level._

"They're bringing him to the lower levels?" sensing something wrong, Syaoran started hurrying towards the door.

_I think this is the lowest level._

"Shit!" the violent way in which the Oracle swore startled the brunette.

_Nixon-san?_ He called out, frowning a little as his hand collided with the door instead of phasing through it like he had expected. Dread began to settle in the pit of his stomach as he tried again, only to get the same results.

"Syaoran, we're coming." Nixon promised urgently, "Just stay with him till we get there. No matter what happens, _stay with Fai_." No sooner had those words reached Syaoran, the oracle cut off their connection, leaving the spirit alone inside his mind as his thoughts grew panicked. Something was wrong. This door felt just like the one in the healing chamber. The metal one that seemed to rob him of whatever energy he had when he drew too close. What was worse?

He couldn't get through!

-0-

The drug circulated through his bloodstream, slowing down the world for him. The edges of his vision grew blurry as everything merged into everything else, the bright light distant and oh so white… and fuzzy… His thoughts grew confused, incoherent as the sense of urgency left him completely. He lay there unmoving, just breathing.

In.

Out.

In.

Out.

In.

A tiny voice at the back of his mind tried to tell him that there was something he needed to do. Something urgent.

_Call on your magic,_ it seemed to say. _Use it. Call it out._

In a dream-like haze, he reached inside him, searching for the icy-blue aura that was the source of all his power. He searched and searched, the haze slowly lifting from his mind as he found nothing but inky blackness.

Where… where was it?

It was supposed to be right there

Inside him.

Why couldn't he find it?

Thought along those lines crawled through his brain as he felt his eyes droop. He looked deeper inside, finding an almost fading flicker. He reached for it, sensing it slip through his fingers like smoky wisps of fog. He tried to reach for it again but his resolve crumbled, the tiny voice having been silenced long ago. Sighing, he let go. Why was he even trying to find it? Whatever it was that he was looking for…

Blearily, he opened his eyes, looking at the dancing lights and the dark silhouette moving above him. Who… Who was that? He tried to move his head to the side, finding it impossible to do so. He let his eyes dart in one direction, only to find a sea of darkness there. Slowly, he looked the other way, finding nothing but the same darkness.

Something cold and burning pressed against his stomach, slowly dragging upwards towards his chest. Suddenly pain exploded everywhere! His eyes snapped open as he gave a shuddering gasp before squeezing shut again. Despite the paralysis, his body jerked and twitched against the bonds that held him as the burning, white-hot pain tore through his flesh. He opened his mouth for a scream but no sound came out. Jagged slices of razor-sharp agony ripped through his insides, making it impossible for him to breath, locking his whole body in place. The burning sensation dug deeper and he found it impossible to move. To scream. To do anything. A scalding hot liquid flowed down his sides, collecting on the cold metal beneath him, it's tangy scent assaulting his senses.

Blood. That was his blood. He was bleeding. Another cry died inside his throat as he felt something tug at the flesh of his stomach, the pain of something tearing and being pulled apart consuming him almost completely. The tug pulled at the flesh of his chest, the same tearing pain following in its wake. This was followed by a series of sickening snaps before the burning agony grew too much for him. Oh God! He wanted to scream so badly…

But there was no air inside his lungs. There was… there was nothing. He couldn't move. Couldn't breathe… couldn't do… anything…

Something sharp poked something inside him and the burning sensation was replaced by a freezing cold, turning the blood inside his veins to ice. But the pain remained. It ripped and clawed and ate away everything that made him up. It was endless, unbearable, absolutely excruciating torture! His nails dugs into the flesh of his palms as he threw his head back, a choked sob escaping his lips.

He was going to die.

He was going to _die_.

-0-

The last of Nixon's transportation spell faded away as they emerged in a dark alleyway.

"We only have about four minutes before the hunters pinpoint the location of this spell." Nixon told them in a hurried whisper, "We'll have to take out the guards stationed at the post and get inside. Keep in mind that we can't afford to fight for too long so take them out swiftly and silently if you can. And leave the killing to me and Kurogane, okay Sakura?"

Her throat felt too dry and her tongue to rubber-like for her to form any words, so she merely nodded at the blind man.

"I'll grab the kid and the idiot once we're there." Kurogane told her, "You'll cover for the Oracle while he casts his spell to get us out."

"Speaking of magic, you won't be able to use it inside the Complex." Nixon informed them both, "You will have to rely solely on your physical prowess. And no matter what you do, don't let them hit you with their darts or bullets."

Sakura nodded once more, her grip tightening on the hilts of her twin short swords as she tried not to bite her lip. This was the first time she would be fighting for real. Sure, she had snuck out of the castle to participate in some matches recently after Touya had declared her 'a monster that could kick some serious butt', but matches could go only so far. This… this was going to be real. There would be no rules, no referee, no anything…

"Let's go."

The guards stationed at the post didn't even know what hit them before they were on the ground as lifeless dolls, eyes staring vacantly ahead as the ground was slowly painted a deep crimson. Forcing herself not to look at the fallen men, she turned her gaze to Kurogane, noticing the grim look of determination on his face as he relaxed his stance a little. She could hear Nixon fumble around with the corpses on the ground, looking for some sort of 'passkey'. The device was what would allow them access to the lower levels of the Complex, which was where the hunters had taken Fai.

"Found it, this one was a captain." She heard the Oracle announce softly. "We only need to get past the first two levels. The bastards are too confident about their security in those two levels to bother with anything except simple passkeys for the lower levels."

And they were off again, taking out as many of the guards as they could along the way, moving swiftly through the brightly lit corridors like silent death. It wasn't until they reached the second level that trouble truly found them in the form of a bald, red-eyed man with a single gold earring in one ear.

"Bauld." Nixon spat venomously while the other man stared back at him coolly.

"Come to save another pathetic cockroach, Oracle?"

Beside Sakura, Kurogane growled dangerously while she felt her own eyes narrow in extreme dislike.

"I must say, my apprentice has grown rather fond of this one. Quite _enjoyable_ she says." He said, his cold expression turning a little sadistic as he leered at the blind man. For a short while his eyes shifted towards Sakura and the jade-eyed girl felt a chill race down her spine at the look that crossed his face then. Faster than she could follow, Nixon was upon the man, daggers drawn and his handsome face twisted in an enraged expression. Only a second later, she was being pushed out of the way by Kurogane as something embedded in the ground with a metallic clink where she had been only seconds before.

"Pay attention, Princess," the ninja scolded her as he swung his sword through the air, deflecting several more bullets as the guards that had snuck up the corridor behind them opened fire.

"S-Sorry." She stuttered as adrenaline rushed through her veins, heightening her senses enough to let her see even the tiniest twitch of muscles in their opponents faces as they took aim at her and opened fire.

-0-

The world… and time, everything was frozen in place for him as nothing but absolute agony consumed his entire being. It was too much. Too much… Things began to grow hazy as he heard a soft voice murmur and croon somewhere far away, taking on a sharp edge near the end as something twisted and dug deeper inside his flesh. An agonized cry tore through his throat as everything slammed back into focus. He couldn't do it anymore. He… he couldn't hold on. He just wanted it all to end.

_Stop. Please. Just stop. _

He wanted to cry and beg for it all to end but the words died on his lips before they could even form.

_You won't give her the satisfaction of making you beg. _Something inside him, a whispered promise to himself made when he had first regained awareness of what was happening to him stopped him. _Not after what they did to the ones you love._

No matter how much he wanted to scream, no sounds emerged from him except for the strangled sobs. He grit his teeth, clenching his eyes shut as he felt her fingers brush his cheek. He would have snapped again, had he had enough energy for the act but as it was, all he could do was moan weakly as energy slowly flowed out of his body.

_Don't let her see you break._ That one whispered promise was the only reason why, when he wanted to so badly, he did not beg, holding on to the last shreds of his sanity and awareness. Drawing every breath was painful, the sharp sting of her nails as she poked and prodded him, searching for something that wasn't there, making him want to scream and cry for relief. If only for a short moment… but he never said a word. Hoping, praying that the ones he was waiting for would come soon enough to spare him. Syaoran had promised they would come. Black crawled through the edges of his vision, the face of the woman looming over him, blurring out completely as lead pulled his lids together.

He struggled to keep his eyes open, forcing his mind to focus on anything but the jagged, white-hot edges of serrated pain that was situated inside his chest. He had promised to wait. Even if the others had gone back on their word. Even if they had decided he was not worth their effort, he would wait.

He'd hold on… for as long as he could…

He felt a jab at something inside his torn chest, followed by a distant pop as a tangy liquid began to fill his mouth. . A strangled hybrid of a laugh and a cry gurgled through his lips. He was drowning in his own _blood_, his punctured lung filling up with his own life source but even as his world was consumed by darkness he did not beg.

He had promised to wait for them… but maybe they had decided he wasn't worth the effort after all. He had promised to wait, but maybe no one was coming for him. He laughed again, choking on his blood as he failed to draw in enough air. He was going to die alone, tied to a metal table with his chest torn open and his lung punctured. The laugh turned to a broken sob as he let the pain carry him away from awareness completely.

_No one is coming…_

_**A/N: Fai has given up. The others are almost there but will they be in time to save him? especially considering his lung just got punctured? It's all coming to an end now. Fai's torture I mean. The story still has a few more chapters to go. Tell me what you think of it all so far.**_

_**Oh and once again**_

_**Happy New Year! ^_^**_


	35. Before its too late, just hold on

_**A/N: So there's one, two, three reasons I'm updating today. **_

_**One being, I managed to finish writing the chapter after the bunnies viciously attacked me. **_

_**Two, I came back home for the weekend even though I've got exams because my baby bro is back home and I wanted to meet him. **_

_**Three, I read the latest update of 'Hated' by 'Tonight's the Night' who happens to be an amazing writer and I simply love that fic and after reading today's update I was like 'I can't believe she did that!' because the last two chapters were completely unexpected and I wanted to see if you guys would have a similar reaction to this update and I think I might start rambling here because this might not be so unexpected after all and I really should be shutting up now... But anyhow, once you're done reading this I'd recommend you go check that story out. It's in my favorites if you are interested. ;)**_

_**Well now that I'm done advertising, I only have to say that this chapter is kinda fast-paced because it's rapidly switching between POVs. (well I tried to make it fast-paced but I'll let you people be the judge, tell me if I succeeded, k?) **_

_Fai-san! _Syaoran yelled, banging his fists against the metal door, feeling it sap him of the energy he possessed. _Fai-san, hang on! They're coming! Don't worry. You'll be out of there soon. Just hold on._

Feeling dizzy, he stumbled back, wondering vaguely why his fists collided with the door like it was solid, yet no sound was produced from them hitting the solid object. _Hold on, Fai, they're almost here,_ he mumbled tiredly as his legs gave out under him and he collapsed on the cold cobbled stone floor. _Just a little longer and you'll be out of there._

-0-

Sakura ducked low, swinging her right sword in a circular motion to block the incoming weapon that was about to slice her head off her shoulders. Nixon and Kurogane were locked in their own battles somewhere around her, Nixon fighting against the head guard and a couple of captains while Kurogane took on several apprentices at the same time. She gritted her teeth, struggling to keep the sword away from her. She had come along to help rescue _Fai_, she couldn't rely on either of them to come to her aide. Her onii-san had trusted her to be strong enough to take care of herself. She couldn't let him down this soon into the battle.

She could do this. She was strong.

Letting out a battle cry, she pushed the man away, spinning around in her crouch to sweep his legs out from under him. Flipping off the ground, she landed lightly on her feet, near his head. Not allowing herself to feel any remorse for her actions, she knocked him out with a swift kick to the temple.

She was there to _help,_ so help them she would.

-0-

Kurogane had been worried about the princess for a little while, getting somewhat distracted when the jade-eyed girl had been almost overpowered by her opponent. The distraction had nearly cost him his life when a bullet had zipped past his ear. Focusing his attention back on his own battle, Kurogane could only send a quick prayer for the girl to survive on her own long enough for him to finish the bastards off.

As it turned out, though, he needn't have worried, for the girl seemed to have overcome whatever had been holding her back. Soon enough she was swinging in and out, flipping and ducking and dancing gracefully around the hunters with her swords flashing around her like a lethal halo of silver.

-0-

Nixon struggled to keep his head clear of the new information rushing in. The distance and Fai's weakened connection to him, along with his own inner turmoil, had blinded him to the knowledge of what the blond had been going through. But as soon as Bauld had uttered those words, the information had flooded in like water spilling from a broken dam. It had only taken him a fraction of a second to push it all away as he had attacked the vile man before him. But now, bits and flashes of that information kept popping up inside his head, making it harder and harder for him to concentrate. He had almost blocked everything off till he was done fighting the man, until a new piece of information assaulted him, making him freeze for a fraction of a second.

"No…" he gasped, his arm throwing the knife with surprising accuracy as everything went to autopilot. Taking back control of his body, he furiously began working on a spell that would take the three of them to a lower level. He now knew why Bauld had come there to engage all three of them in a fight.

It was a distraction. A delaying tactic for the hunter's apprentice to accomplish her task. Letting out a concentrated burst of wild magic that knocked Bauld and the other hunters down, he carved out the spell in the air with his aura, reigning Sakura and Kurogane in to his side.

They did not have time for this battle.

-0-

Sakura stumbled as the sudden activation of a transportation spell left her disorientated and unbalanced. They had emerged in a small, enclosed space, roughly four-foot-by-three, made out of a mixture of stone and metal.

"You okay?"Kurogane grunted at her as Nixon furiously fiddled around with the mechanism on the door before them.

"I'm fine." She shook her head a little to get rid of the strange tingly feeling now coursing through her whole body. Sudden magic tended to do that sometimes. "And Kurogane-san?"

"Hn." He grunted in response, "You did good back there."

"Come on." The Oracle hissed as the metal doors slide open to reveal a long, narrow and somewhat dimly-lit passage. The blind man was racing down the corridor even before the doors had fully slid apart.

-0-

Kurogane noticed the sudden sense of urgency that seemed to have overtaken the Oracle, and he felt his heart clench in fear for the blond idiot trapped several levels below them. Nixon had not even bothered elaborating on what was wrong before he had whipped them away from his chambers only a little while back. For him to have changed their plans on such short notice, it had to be something really bad. But knowing that did not make the ninja feel any better. Making sure to slash at all passkey inlets to ensure the mechanisms wouldn't work once they were through and the doors were closed behind them, he followed after the blind man, hoping against hope that they were not too late.

-0-

Sakura raced after them, forcing herself not to let the feelings of despair and hopelessness that hung about the place distract her. Those monsters had tortured and killed so many magicians there. Every now and then, she would even catch a flash of the beaten, broken ghosts of those that had died there. But she didn't stop, didn't even bat an eye as she followed behind Kurogane and Nixon. The ghosts were already dead. As much as she hated admitting it, there was nothing she could do for them.

But Fai…Fai was still alive.

And he needed them all.

-0-

Chanting a constant mantra of "no" inside his head as he raced down the twisting hallways, not even pausing to take out the hunter-guards that patrolled the corridors, Nixon could only pray that what he felt was wrong. Fai, that bloody blond idiot, could not be… he was distantly aware of Kurogane and Sakura swinging their swords behind him to get rid of the men he nimbly slipped past in his haste to reach _that_ room.

"Oracle! Oi!" He heard the ninja call after him as he skidded around a turn and vanished from their line of sight.

He had to get to Fai.

-0-

"Shit!"Kurogane cursed violently as he stabbed the hunter through his chest with his sword, drawing it out before the man could even begin to choke on his blood. Not waiting for the body to hit the ground, he grabbed Sakura's hand, pulling the princess along as he rushed after the blind man. Something had gone wrong.

Something had gone terribly wrong. And for the life of him, Kurogane, the fearsome warrior of Nihon, could not decide if he wanted to know what he would find at the lowest level of the Complex.

-0-

The muscles in her legs were screaming in protest as she pushed them past their limits, watching the tail end of Nixon's cloak vanish down the turn at the other end of the hallway they had just emerged in.

'_Fai-san_,' she prayed silently, '_please be okay. We're coming_.'

-0-

Time seemed to have lost its meaning as he released a bit of magic inside his body to aid him in picking up the speed his aching muscles seemed to have lost. Only one more level to go. He left a deliberate trail of his aura to aid the princess in finding the path he took as he went on ahead. He had to get there before it was too late.

-0-

Tears of frustration prickled his eyes as Syaoran sat slumped on the floor. He perked up a little as the sounds of racing footsteps approached, followed by alarmed cries. No sooner had he struggled back to his feet that Nixon appeared at the end of the hallway, his cloak billowing behind him like wings, the almost-black aura that enshrouded him giving him the appearance of a dark, avenging angel.

_Nixon-san!_

"Where's Fai?" He barked, skidding to a halt before the door.

_He's behind this door. But I can't get in._

Wordlessly, he raised his right hand and touched the metal, drawing it back only a second later with an angry hiss.

"It's made out of pure Cerelium." He said as he backed away. "Step back." Syaoran hastily complied, tumbling on his weak legs and almost falling in his haste.

"Syaoran-san!"

_Sakura-hime, you're here._ He exclaimed, feeling happy despite the grim situation,_ Kurogane-san, too._

"I couldn't stay behind when Fai-san needed help." She replied with a small smile as Syaoran found himself freezing at the sight of the princess. She was armed with a pair of short swords with wickedly curved blades, each with a golden hilt that resembled a hunting sword, adorned with delicate engravings. Syaoran was surprised to see the delicate Sakura armed with such deadly weapons, but he could tell from the determined look in her eyes that the girl knew how to use them. From the blood flecks marring her creamy skin he could tell that she could be deadly with them, too, if she chose to be. And yet, he doubted that the compassionate girl would have taken even a single life on her way there.

A loud explosion shook the entire corridor, causing the spirit to whirl back towards the door. Nixon swore as he hastily began to write out another spell.

"Wait, step back." Kurogane ordered as he changed his stance, poising his sword for one of his trademark attacks.

"_Hama Ryuu Jin!"_ He yelled, slashing the air with his blade, letting loose a powerful blast that collided with the metal door, ripping it apart like tissue paper.

"Fai/Fai-san!" With collective cries the four raced inside, only to freeze in their steps at the sight that greeted them under the harsh operating light.

"Don't worry, he's still alive." Syaoran heard the woman speak from somewhere in the darkness that filled the rest of the room. "For now. Although I'm afraid I won't allow you to take him away just yet."

Faster than Syaoran's eyes could follow, a black blur split the air, heading straight for Sakura who was to his left. The princess gathered her wits fast enough to block the incoming attack with her sword, the whip wrapping around its blade a couple of times.

-0-

Adrenaline once more rushed through her veins as the whip tugged at her weapon, trying to pull the sword free from her grip but she held on.

"Kurogane-san," She grit out quietly, trying to pinpoint where exactly it was that her attacker was hiding, "get Fai-san, I'll cover Nixon-san as he sets up the spell."

Without waiting for either of the two men to respond, she exploded into a flurry of kicks and swinging swords as she located the female apprentice.

"I won't let you take him away from here." The woman growled as she made a slashing motion with her hand and the whip in her hand cut through the air as it raced towards Sakura. Having never fought an opponent that used such a flexible weapon, the princess judged it best to observe the woman's fighting style a little more before coming up with a strategy to fight back. Dodging out of the way, Sakura tried calling on an offensive spell to distract the woman for a little while. She remembered only belatedly the Oracle's warning about magic not working inside the Complex, but was surprised to find that the spell still came into existence, though it was too weak to cause much damage and it demanded far more energy on her part. Panting slightly, she decided not to use magic again for the fight, glad to know that her little spell, though pathetically weak, had still managed to take away her opponent's attention from Nixon.

"Another one?" The woman grinned wickedly as the two somehow ended up outside the small chamber and in the dimly-lit hallways. "Oh, I'll be sure to have fun with you. I can tell you'll prove to be as amusing as that Syaoran."

Despite having been warned about it countless times by Touya as the crown prince had trained her, Sakura found herself freezing completely. "You did that to him?"

"You seem surprised." The woman cocked a brow at her before her smile turned a little twisted. "I see… you must be his precious Sakura."

Sakura was jolted out of her shocked state as a cold something pushed her to the left, partially going through her body in the process. Not a second later something embedded in the wall with a dull _plink_.

_Concentrate on the fight, Hime._ The apparition told her seriously, _she almost got you._

-0-

He knew the princess would only be able to buy them a small amount of time, so Kurogane immediately set to work. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Fai's heart weakly fluttering, struggling to pump blood around his body even though most of it kept pooling about him. Forcing himself no to think about the blonde's torn chest as the idiot bled to his death, Kurogane took hold of the metallic shackles binding his wrists to the platform, ignoring the deep gouge marks in the metal table that seemed to have been made by some sort of claws, Fai's as he must have struggled to get away no doubt. Gritting his teeth at the resistance they offered him, Kurogane pulled with all his might until they groaned and gave way, freeing Fai's wrists. Dimly aware of Sakura fighting out in the corridor and Nixon hurriedly setting up the spell, he hastily approached the foot of the platform, quickly setting to free Fai's ankles as well.

"Kurogane, unpin his chest." Nixon ordered and it was then that the ninja noticed the metallic pins holding the torn flaps of flesh- that used to be Fai's chest- separated but keeping them fixed to the platform. His ribs had been snapped apart to reveal his heart and lungs, one of which was nothing more than a deflated mass of flesh.

"Kurogane!" The Oracle's sharp tone only served to further impress upon him the severity of the situation. Ignoring the blood coating his hands, Kurogane made quick work of the pins. Looking at Fai then, he was strongly reminded of the time when the kid had gone berserk and ripped out his eye, although, the mage had not looked quite so bad back then. He cast a look over his shoulder to find the Oracle working diligently on whatever spell it was though it looked as though it would still be a couple more minutes before they'd be able to leave. Not knowing what else to do, Kurogane carefully started resetting the broken ribs. He was no expert medic, but having spent quite a lot of time on the field in Yama and in Nihon before that, he did know the basics of setting broken bones. Although, he had never had to reset them like he was doing just then.

"Don't die," he silently prayed as the mage's heart began to slow down. "Damn it, you bastard, hold on a little longer. We'll get you out of here. Just stay with me." Once the bones were in place, he flipped the flaps of Fai's torn flesh back in place, quickly moving his outspread arms to his sides.

"Get the princess!" Nixon barked as the complex spell written out in the air started to glow.

Drawing his sword, Kurogane raced back into the corridor. He was impressed with the way the auburn-haired girl fought with the female hunter, but he could tell that the older woman was above the princess's level. He could see it in the way she moved that she was only toying around with the princess. Not wanting another person he cared about to end up getting stuck in this hellhole, he signaled for the silently watching spirit to pull the princess out of the range of his attack.

"_Hama Ryuu Jin!"_ Not waiting for the cloud of dust to clear from where the apprentice had hit the wall and knocked it down, Kurogane grabbed the princess's hand and pulled her with him into the range of the spell, grabbing hold of the spirit with his other hand, although Syaoran's body merely phased through his fingers. But the action had been enough to catch his attention for the brunette followed after him quickly.

He heard the silver-haired woman scream in rage just as they vanished in swirls of dark, choking smoke.

"Neumro, fetch Masooma! Now!" the Oracle barked as they appeared in the blind man's chambers with Fai's limp body appearing on his bed. He continued bleeding, though the flow of blood had slowed down and for some reason, Kurogane could tell it wasn't because of the fact that the blonde's injuries were healing. "Sakura, attend to him!" But it appeared as though the princess had long since abandoned her weapons, moving to the magician's side as her hands glowed a soft gold.

"He's lost too much blood." She told them, with tears streaming down her face as she hovered her hands above his chest. "I can't heal him fast enough."

_Kurogane-san's blood!_ Syaoran exclaimed all of a sudden, _Fai-san said it would help him heal._

That was all the ninja needed to hear as he quickly slashed his wrist with his blood coated sword, holding the wound to the mage's cold, unmoving lips. With bated breath they watched as Kurogane massaged the blonde's throat to make him swallow his life source. For a fraction of a second, it seemed as though the blood was working as the wounds slowly began to seal up before Fai's whole body shuddered and went completely still, not even a whisper of breath escaping him.

"It's not beating!" Sakura cried, her eyes widening in panic "His heart-It's not beating!"

_**A/N: The reason why Nixon forbade Sakura from using her magic inside the Complex was because the entire place is lined with Cerelium and the metal has a negating effect on magic. She's strong enough to actually use her magic there, same as Nixon but unlike him, she hasn't been able to get her body used to its draining effects therefore she got tired rather easily. Nixon on the other hand has been in that world long enough to know how to vary the intensity of his magic while casting spells that the metal doesn't effect him that badly. By telling her that it wouldn't be possible for her to use magic there, he had been hoping that she would not even think about using it since like Kurogane said, they did not want another one of their friends to end up in the hunters' clutches. **_

_**I remember someone commenting how Nixon and Masooma's names were rather unusual even for someone belonging to Celes. As I'm sure others might have wondered about the same, I'd just like to clarify that I see Celes as an entire world, kinda like earth, with different countries and cultures and all. Masooma and Nixon are both foreigners to the country where Fai lived and are not originally from that place even though they do belong to Celes (the world, not the country).**_

_**Here's a little peak at what you guys are up for in the coming chapter.**_

"Princess, we just need to find a way to get his heart to start beating again, right?" he was afraid to hope too much. If this worked… if this worked they could save him. But he wasn't the medical expert. What if what he had in mind wouldn't work because that wasn't what was needed to save the idiot. He refused to believe that the bastard was dead already.

"Y-Yes…" the girl sobbed, struggling to control the ragged cries that tore from her throat.

"Pump his heart," he barked at the brunette, "you can do that, can't you?"

_**All I'd like to say at this point is that… expect the unexpected. Fai can still survive this ordeal and he can die just as easily at this point. I know I promised not to kill him a lifetime ago but… my bunnies demand that he should die now. They can be rather vicious and demanding and I try not to go against them but you can still tip the scales leave a vote for:**_

_**a) Just kill him already. He's been through enough.**_

_**b) Kill him and you die along with him. He deserves to LIVE!**_

_**c) I don't really care what you do. Just hurry up and kill the bitch who did this to them already.**_

_**Vote via PM or reviews, either way is fine with me. **_

_**Until next time.**_

_**Obsidian.**_


	36. Bitter End, is this it?

_**A/N: *sniffles* I've got flue and a sore throat and a fever and I'm stuck in bed. Lucky for me, I have the day off tomorrow and then I've got the entire weekend to recover. I still hate the fact that I had to get sick so close to my finals. But anyhow, since I had nothing better to do, I figured I should update this fic before I go to sleep.**_

_**I'd like to thank everyone for their votes. A lot of you guys wanted Fai to live while a couple asked me to kill him. There were a few that also told me to do what I felt was best at this point. You'll see what I decided on when you get to the end of this chapter. I'd recommend you should listen to 'Forgiven' by 'Within Temptation' when you read the end of Fai's part since that's what I was listening to while writing this and it really sets the mood. ;)**_

_**Enjoy~**_

_He had the distinct sensation of falling through darkness, falling and falling and falling forever. Tumbling and turning, sometimes colliding with and sometimes phasing through random, floating islands of unidentifiable debris that seemingly appeared out of nowhere before vanishing again. He could hear snatches of voices around him, too, but they were too confusing for him to make out any definite words. His heart was thumping almost painfully against his ribs as he tried to slow his decent, uselessly flailing around in the air, watching on with horror as he fell towards a giant mass of land that strangely enough reminded him of the place he used to call home in his childhood, long before he had been sent on the journey to meet _her_. Only unlike the beautiful mansion with its spacious gardens lined with cherry blossom trees, this place was nothing but a shell of the former, the trees nothing more than charred skeletons, not a single leaf upon their withered branches, the mansion no more than a hollow carcass of burnt and weathered stone, steel and wood._

_It was here that he crashed, the impact of his fall rattling every bone inside his body. Struggling to breath, he pushed himself into a sitting position, taking in his surroundings through wide eyes. There was no wind, but ash still seemed to blow in whirlwinds around him, some places still housing dying embers of the flame that had no doubt destroyed this place, wherever it was._

"_We are inside your head right now," the soft-spoken words had him whirling around, adrenaline rushing through his veins. "Which is one of the reasons why you can actually stand." _

"_Wha-" he had been pretty sure he was sitting merely a moment ago, but looking down at himself, he could see that he was indeed standing._

"_Get out." He glared at the apparition before him. The woman gave him a smile that was a mixture of pity and something else he couldn't quite identify. _

"_I can't do that, Syaoran." She shook her head, looking apologetic._

"_Stop it!" he snarled, identifying the whispers of a calming sensation that washed over him all of a sudden._

"_Stop what?" She merely cocked her head to one side, observing him through curious eyes that were so much like his own._

"_Using that spell. Trying to gain my trust. Stop it!" he demanded angrily._

"_I see." She lowered her head slightly and the sensation that had been whispering at him to stop mistrusting her vanished. "You can sense magic a lot better inside here. That's good to know."_

"_What are you going on about?" He narrowed his eyes._

"_Can you answer a question for me, Syaoran?" she asked in return, giving no indication of having heard his previous statement._

"_Why should I?"_

"_Hmm… Good question," she nodded, "Why should you, indeed."_

_A spark of irritation ignited inside him at this. This woman was… irritating. And for some reason, that made him feel less afraid of her. He wasn't quite sure why, though. He could not feel any more vibes of magic trying to make him change his opinion of her._

"_If I promise to answer your questions in return, would you do it then?" she offered._

"… _Why have you brought me here?" he decided to forego her agreement. He'd answer her only if she answered him first. "Why are _you_ inside _my _head?"_

"_We're here because I'm trying to help you."_

"_Bullshit!" he growled._

"_Have I done anything so far that would have hinted at an ulterior motive in me trying to help you?" she met his gaze head on, eyes shining with the same stubborn light he had seen in _her_ eyes so many times before. "Or have I tried to hurt you in any way until now?"_

"_Why should I trust you just because you haven't hurt me until now?_

"_Well, why shouldn't you?" she countered defiantly._

"…"

"_What is the last thing you can recall?"_

"_What?"_

"_What is the last thing you can recall before your friends turned on you?"_

"_I-I…"_

"_Can you recall the reason why they turned on you all of a sudden?"_

"_I don't…"_

"_Do you even know what made them decide that you deserved what they did to you?"_

"_They…"_

"_You can't remember it, can you?" she said, seemingly reading his mind and that scared him. His thoughts were all that he had left and this woman could easily rip apart those feeble shields he had around them and learn every secret he had. _

"_So what?" he exploded, folding his arms across his chest as he glared at her, "Who cares why they did it? What matters is that _they did this to me!"_Finally! He had struck her speechless. All the hurt and hatred and feelings of betrayal that he had felt ever since they had turned on him began pouring from his lips like water from a broken dam, "They were supposed to be my friends, my family! Yet they forgot about it all! They _enjoyed_ watching me in pain, torturing me, relishing my screams, laughing at my cries."_

"_You're wrong, Syaoran." She replied in that calm tone of hers, "Of course it matters. It matters a lot more than you can imagine."_

"_Why? Why should it matter?" He was screaming by now, not even noticing that the whirlwinds of ash were growing in size as time passed. "I was willing to die for them, to die for _her! _I gave up half my life for her sake. And she…"_

"_It hurts, doesn't it?" Hearing her say it only made all the anger that he had felt come tumbling down on him with the force of a raging ocean. He did not want to feel that way because she was right; it did hurt, thinking about it all._

"_If this is supposed to be your way of 'helping' me, don't." He turned away from her, not even wanting to shout anymore. A deep ache in his chest started to replace the anger that he felt, the fire slowly dying to leave behind the glowing ambers instead. "Just… Just leave me alone."_

"_Would leaving you alone solve the problem you have with your friends?" He heard her take a step towards him._

"_They're not my friends." He cut in sharply, fists balling by his sides as he stood there shaking in silent rage. The whirlwinds of ash were spinning madly by now, pulling up debris as they spun._

"_You want to know why they did it to you, don't you?"_

"_Stop it!" the dying ambers burst to life once more, threatening to swallow him whole._

"_Despite it all, you want the answer to that 'why?', because even now, deep down, you still can't believe that they could have done this to you. Don't you?"_

"_No, I don't." He grit out. He was lying and he knew that she knew that too. But he did not want to talk about it._

"_But you do," she said, walking around him to look him in the eye. God. He hated her so much just about then. Why did she have to keep at it, picking at the barely healed scabs of his wounded heart and making the gouges bleed anew? "We wouldn't be having this conversation otherwise."_

"_We're having this conversation because you won't shut up about it." He snarled. "Stop it. Just leave me alone!"_

"_Can you at least give me a chance to explain once?" Even though her tone was firm, her eyes were pleading._

"… _Why are you trying so hard?" he asked, searching her face, daring her to lie to him._

"_Because you're important to a lot of other people…" she replied evenly, "Including your father. He wants to see you get better."_

"_My father…" The force holding the raging whirlwinds together vanished all of a sudden, causing the ash and the debris fell back to the ground with a thud. He remembered a voice telling him to hold on for his father when he had all but given up and vanished inside the void. This woman, she reminded him of that voice. Was it even possible? Was there really a chance that what she said was true?_

"_Just give me one chance, Syaoran." She said softly. "If you still want me to leave you alone after that, I… I will."_

_His heart thundered inside his chest, threatening to break him apart with its violent beating. He did not quite trust her but there was a part of him that wanted to know the answer to those questions. If this woman claimed she had the answers then… Steeling himself, he gave her a barely perceptible nod but she must have noticed it._

"_Thank you." she smiled gratefully at him as her fingers danced through the air, tracing out crimson runes that swirled around them, kicking up the ash and debris once more before he was plunged into darkness all over again. The whispering voices were back, echoing all around him as he tumbled through nothingness until it all grew silent suddenly and he was slammed into a familiar place, his heart catching in his throat as he took in the dimly lit cell, the scent of blood and sweat and human waste assaulting his nose with a vengeance. _

_He…he was back in hell…_

-0-

"Do what you did with the kid." Kurogane ordered urgently. As a ninja, he had been trained to keep a tight rein over his emotions, but as he saw the Mage's broken body bleeding all over the sheets of the Oracle's bed, he could feel panic bubbling inside him. Now that the imminent threat of the hunters barging in to kill them all was over, keeping the blond alive was all that mattered

"I can't." The princess's words caused his heart to skip a beat, panic clearly showing in her green eyes as she met his gaze. "His ribs… They won't be able to handle the pressure. They will p-puncture his heart if I press down on them."

"Well then…" Alternate waves of hot and cold rushed all over his body as words escaped him. They couldn't just let him die like that. There had to be something. Anything. "Do _something._" He finished rather helplessly, watching the jade-eyed girl as though she could come up with some brilliant solution to save the idiot but the girl seemed just as much at a loss on what to do as him.

"Sakura, step back for a minute," the Oracle stepped forth, a constant stream of obsidian runes, so very much like the ones the blond mage used to trace yet so unlike them at the same time, encircling around the blind man before shooting towards the unmoving man on the bed just as the princess hastily made to get out of the way. The dark-haired man crouched next to the magician, his brow furrowed in concentration as he kept on murmuring something under his breath. Realizing that blood was still dripping from the wound on his wrist, Kurogane hurriedly tore a piece of his shirt and tied it around the bleeding arm, watching on with bated breath as half the runes sank into the mage's body while the other half floated in the air above him. The ninja almost expected the blond to come back to life with a deep gasp, his wounds healing before their eyes as he grinned that idiotic grin of his. Several moments passed as his gaze bore holes through the idiot. What was taking him so long? The vampire blood in his veins should have healed him by now.

"There's nothing there…" the Oracle whispered, slumping back as the spell broke, the dark characters shattering and dissipating into thin air in wisps of hazy mist, "I… I can't find anything…"

_Fai-san… Is h-he?_ He was vaguely aware of the kid's ghostly apparition stuttering out, his voice tinged with panic and disbelief.

"He's dead." The princess wailed, the sound echoing around the room like the cry of a grieving bird, just as she crumpled on the ground beside the Oracle, "I can't feel his soul anywhere."

"He's gone," the man mumbled weakly, as he squeezed his eyes shut, drawing up his knees and curling his arms around them before burying his face into his arms. "He's gone. We were too late."

No! There had to be something they could do. The bastard couldn't have just died. Not like that. He wasn't supposed to have died like that. He still had so many things left to do. The idiot had sworn to help the kid find a way to get the other brats' bodies back. And that witch… what about her? He had probably left her waiting for him. _'Just like you left Tomoyo waiting for you,'_ a voice viciously snarled inside his head before he pushed it away. He was still alive, wasn't he? Once he had done his job and knocked some sense into the two brats- something that was long overdue- he'd go back to her. _He _wasn't going to die and leave her waiting for him. But the mage… he couldn't have just… it would completely crush that girl if he…

There had to be something… there had to be-

"Kid, you can pass through things, right?" he gritted out, subconsciously clenching his fists so hard he could feel the nails digging into the skin of his flesh limb and the metal creaking in his artificial arm. It was a wild idea, bordering on insane, but there wasn't much of anything else that they could do…

_I-I can._ The brunette responded, sounding a little alarmed and concerned at the same time as he looked back at the man who had been his mentor in another lifetime. Kurogane was sure his eyes were shining with a slightly manic gleam as he quickly tried to go over the idea inside his head.

"Princess, we just need to find a way to get his heart to start beating again, right?" He was afraid to hope too much. If this worked… if this worked, they could save him. But he wasn't the medical expert. What if what he had in mind wouldn't work because that wasn't what was needed to save the idiot? He refused to believe that the bastard was dead already.

"Y-Yes…" the girl sobbed, struggling to control the ragged cries that tore from her throat.

"Pump his heart," he barked at the brunette, "you can do that, can't you?"

_H-Hai… I can… I can do that._ A tiny spark of hope shone in the two teens' faces as the ghost hurried over to the mage's side, a tremor racing up his whole body as his hand disappeared into the blonde's chest.

"We were supposed to have saved him before this happened." He heard the Oracle mumble. "We were supposed to have gotten to him in time."

"Shut up!"Kurogane snarled, punching the wall next to him with his flesh hand, gritting his teeth in rage. The ninja could feel blood pour from his knuckles where his skin had broken but he could care less about it then. How dare he… how dare he say that… "We haven't failed. The bastard is stronger than that."

"Oh, yeah?" The blind man's head snapped upwards, his sightless, bloodshot eyes glaring holes through the other man.

Behind him he could hear the kid murmuring a soft mantra of '_Come on, Fai-san, you have to wake up.'_

"THEN WHY THE FUCK IS HE DEAD?" Kurogane felt his breath catch in his throat at what he saw. It should not have been possible, given the film of grey that covered the Oracle's pupils, yet he could still see the vast ocean of emotions tumbling inside the other's eyes.

'_It's not working.' _The boy told him dejectedly. His heart nearly skipped a beat. It had to work. It _had _to.

"Keep trying."Kurogane ordered, tearing his eyes away from the sightless gaze that made him feel weak and sick at the same time.

"Did you hear him, you self-conceited bastard?" The Oracle roared at the unmoving blond, "You're supposed to be _stronger_ than the shit they put you through! WHY THE FUCKING HELL ARE YOU DEAD?"

_Kurogane-san…_

"Keep trying, kid." He repeated firmly, refusing to acknowledge the cold sinking feeling in his gut. He wasn't one to run away from anything. People died all the time. Death was a part of life and Kurogane had always prided himself on knowing that he wasn't one of those who lied to themselves. Yet even as the others had all seemingly accepted it for what it was, the red-eyed ninja could not for the life of him accept that the mage was gone, that he'd never hear another idiotic nickname ever again. He watched the kid's face, expression dejected and broken, the princess slumped on the ground, shoulders shaking and trembling, the Oracle curled almost into a ball, face pressed into his arms as he kept on mumbling the same thing again and again.

Kurogane knew he would not be able to deny it for a long time. A heavy weight settled over his heart, cold, icy claws painfully squeezing it inside his chest as minutes, years and centuries went by. He wasn't waking up. The dumbass wasn't fucking waking up! The kid had been pumping the bastard's heart for quite a while now but it wasn't working. It had worked for the other kid but it wasn't for the mage. Looking at the brunette's face as he kept chanting his mantra for the blond to wake up, he knew that the kid knew it too. Gritting his teeth, he turned away so he wouldn't have to take in the sight of the blonde's mangled chest or his cold blue lips or his deathly-still, broken, bruised and torn corpse.

"You can stop, kid. There…" His voice clogged up in his throat, a hard lump forming there that made it difficult for him to breathe. He squeezed his eyes shut as a warm, burning liquid gathered there, making it impossible for him to even see the wall, "There isn't anything we can do for him…"

Behind him, he heard the princess wail even louder, her cries mixing with the choked sobs of the brown-haired apparition and the constant mumblings of the Oracle. A couple of tears escaped from his eyes, tracing fiery paths down his cheeks as he clenched his fists even harder, not even noticing as his fingernails broke the skin to draw blood, a wire twanging as it snapped under the strain he put on his mechanical limb. A tiny voice inside him echoed the words the blind man whispered.

"He wasn't supposed to die… We were supposed to have saved him…"

_**A/N: Yeah… I went with what the bunnies wanted since they're the ones controlling the entire plot and it's best not to go against their wishes. So I hope no one threw their laptops/PCs to the ground in anger. ^_^; **_

_**Don't worry by the way. This is NOT the end so stick around, you guys might not want to kill me after reading the next chapter. ;) ;) There **_**will**_** be angst there since Fai is officially dead but the coming chapters will not be boring, I can promise you that much. **_

_**Please leave a review and let me know if the end made you cry or not because it sure did bring me to tears when I reread it. Till next time.**_

_**~Obsidian**_


	37. Blink

_**A/N: I think I pissed off a lot of people with the ending of the last chapter. Well… I don't really have much to say at the moment except for the fact that my exams are over and I finally have the break I need. Yay for me~ although… I might end up having to work during this little respite of mine as well seeing as my final year project has been gathering dust for almost two months now and my instructor is definitely gonna fail my group if we don't get off our butts and get to work. *sighs* so much for sleeping in during my break.**_

_**Anywho, this is probably the longest chapter for Broken yet. I hope you'll enjoy it.**_

There had been a time in his life when the color red had signified protection for him. After all, it had been the color his mentor had chosen to adorn and the Japanese man had been a pillar of strength and safety. But not anymore. After all that had happened, he knew he would only associate the color with death.

He was distantly aware of the ragged gasps causing his shoulders to tremble as he stared fixedly at it. There was so much blood. Blood that should not have been staining the sheets that dreary shade of crimson as it was. Drawing in another shaky breath, he struggled to tear his gaze away from the horrid sight before him focusing his line of sight on the weeping form of the princess, Her petite frame heaving as she wailed, making no attempts whatsoever to hide her grief, her pretty face was blotchy with tears and her eyes were bloodshot, a constant stream of tears spilling down her cheeks. His gaze shifted a little lower and his breath caught in his throat. There it was again, the color red on her hands and arms, silently mocking him, taunting him, reminding of how everything had led to failure. He jerked his head away, struggling to draw in another breath, even though he knew he did not need the air. The act of breathing was nothing more than that, an act. He was just a spirit, an essence. He did not need to breathe in order to survive. No. it was just something that he had been doing on a subconscious level before, perhaps a way of his mind reminding him that he was still human. But he was only fooling himself because he knew he wasn't anymore. Had he still been human, he'd have been able to actually _do_ something to help instead of just scream and yell rather uselessly.

Without even knowing it, he was back to staring at the source of all that red. His eyes slowly traced the tiny rivulets that had partially dried on sickly pale skin. He could recall a time when it had been a healthy sort of pale. Like porcelain or some rather fine china plate that one would handle with extreme care. That fragile plate had been broken now. Shattered to so many tiny pieces that try as they all might, nothing could ever make it whole again. A major piece was missing and without the missing piece, nothing could be put back together. While they had been struggling to collect all the tiny shards of the flawless white a thief had come and stolen the centre piece, the final key that was needed to make the plate whole again. He was well aware that even with all the pieces put together, the cracks in its surface would have never gone away but how were they supposed to complete the piece of china when they did not even have all the shards? He wondered why he was contemplating about broken china and missing shards as he took in the purple bruises littering the expanse of flesh. The deep purple contrasted sharply with the red, reminding him of a patch of flowers he had seen in a garden once. Maybe it had been the garden at Clow or perhaps one of the gardens of his own home in Hong Kong after he had been reincarnated. He knew then that there was yet another thing he would associate with death from then on. Those flowers he couldn't recall the name of.

The princess's cries echoed all around him, mingling with the blind man's quiet mutterings and the sound of the ninja's mechanical arm slowly give under the stress it was being put through. But all these sounds were like white noise to him. The sound of his own ragged breathing, shuddering gasps spilling from his lips as he inattentively started taking note of the cuts interspersed with all the rusty rivulets and blossoming violets was too loud for him to be bothered by the background noise being made by the other three. He swallowed thickly, absently noting that not even a couple of minutes had passed since the ninja had told him there was nothing they could do. That should have been the princess's call but… the Oracle had confirmed it. There was nothing there to save. The thief had stolen the final piece that was needed to rebuild the shattered plate.

Failure.

That was all there was to it. Angry claws stabbed through his gut at the thought. The mocking crimson seemed to remind him about that by being present everywhere he looked. His own eyes continuously dragged his gaze back to the sight of the man he had failed, torturing him with the sight of that pale, broken china-like skin marred with bruises, cuts and burns, literally painted crimson in the amount of blood that seemed to have spilled from the deathly still body. All that blood should have been _inside_ the unmoving man. His partially parted, blue-tinged lips and vacant, glazed over blue-eyed stare only seemed to cause the furious claws to tug and twist his insides as painfully as humanly possible. It was true he would never be able to look at the color red and think of anything but this particular death for as long as he lived, that wasn't what unnerved him the most the longer he stared at the corpse. It wasn't even the cuts or the burns or the bruises or the flaps of torn chest that had merely been slapped together to save them all the horror of seeing the blonde's torn insides. The slightly caved in right side of his lung wasn't any encouraging either. But the only thing that horrified him enough to make him visibly flinch was the vacant, glassy-eyed stare. His association for the color of the sky might have changed forever as well. Fai's eyes were not supposed to be so devoid of life. They were supposed to have that mischievous twinkle that belied the sharp mind the mage had possessed. Instead of that horrible, _horrible_ emptiness in that mockery of blue, there was supposed to be life and laughter that would have put the sky to shame.

Knowing full well that there was no way his sight would stray from the broken, mangled corpse before him- his mind wanted him to remember this failure for the rest of his life- but unable to look at the horrible emptiness in the magician's dead gaze, Syaoran took a step towards the man. Those eyes staring blankly into nothingness bitterly reminded him that the missing piece of china would forever remain missing and no matter what, they would never ever be able to put the place back together again. He did not want that reminder, not now, not ever. Reaching out with a trembling hand, he made to close Fai's eyes- that way he wouldn't be reminded of their failure- and froze. The air seemed to shift a little as the background noise changed. He stared at the blank eyes, wondering if the flash of gold had just been a trick of his mind. Fai's eyes were the same vacant, unseeing blue. Just as he forced his body to move and close them, he froze once again, his own eyes widening in disbelief as he stared at the blonde's face.

_He… He's alive… _he breathed shakily, the words never truly making it past his lips. _He's alive._ He repeated, wondering if he had truly started going mad. There was no way. No way at all. Fai couldn't be alive when he himself had felt the frozen muscle inside his hands, when the Oracle had confirmed that the broken shard that was Fai's soul was no longer in his body. But despite all his disbelief, he could see it. The tiny almost imperceptible flicker of a pulse in his bloodied neck, the weakest flutter of his chest that one would fail to notice unless they were specifically looking for it and finally, the slow healing of that shallow cut on his cheek which would no doubt leave behind a scar. _Sakura-hime, help him! _he yelled with all his might. He didn't know how it was possible or even why it had happened when Fai had been dead for almost five minutes but it was. The magician had somehow survived. He had a pulse, he was breathing and most importantly, _He's alive!_

"Sy-aoran-san…" the princess said weakly through her sobs, "he's…"

"He's alive." Syaoran was too anxious to get the princess to move and help Fai to even notice that the Oracle had been the one to agree with him. "Princess, get a grip and help."

The brunette felt a little sorry for her, the way she looked at him and the Oracle with such confusion and helplessness. She did not believe them and he could see that in her lost gaze.

_He'll die! Sakura-hime, _help_ him!_ She had to move. She had to help him.

"Stop spouting bullshit!" Kurogane roared, whirling around to face them with nothing but anger written across his features. "One second you're all saying he's dead and five minutes later you're screaming his alive? _You_ two get a grip. The mage is-"

"Sakura, move it!" the Oracle interrupted Kurogane's tirade.

_His heart is beating again. _He begged, hoping the girl would believe his words, hoping they both would believe his words. After all, he wasn't imagining it. Nixon agreed with him even without having to see. The blind man must have sensed something return to Fai's body if he agreed with Syaoran. But… _Sakura-hime, he will truly die. _Why wasn't she moving? Every second they wasted was a second that could end up with Fai being really dead. He had somehow come back but he needed help. She had to heal him. _Help him, please!_

He almost sank to the floor in relief when the girl was on her feet in a flash, and by the magician's side the next second.

"What the fuck are you going on about?" the ninja snarled, taking a menacing step towards Syaoran at the same time but his path was blocked by the Oracle.

"Fai has somehow come back to life," Syaoran heard the man say as he turned his attention back to the princess casting a hurried spell over the magician. By now he could almost hear the rattle of Fai's breath, despite the shouting match going on mere feet behind him.

"He can't breathe," Sakura said to no one, "the blood in his right lung is drowning him."

_Is there any way to get it out?_

The princess did not answer however, her eyes closed and her hands placed over Fai's mangled chest, glowing a soft gold as she murmured under her breath. An invisible wind kicked up, spinning around her and Fai, causing her hair to flutter about her face as a magic circle appeared beneath her feet. Fai's body spasmed under her hands, shuddering and twitching violently for a little while before the blond started coughing, the sound wet and painful. It was almost like he was coughing up a lung or two but in the end all that spilled from his lips were mouthfuls of brilliant crimson.

"He needs more blood." She announced to no one in particular. Syaoran had been too busy watching Fai struggle for his life to realize that Kurogane and Nixon had stopped shouting with the former staring at the scene with equally wide eyes as himself. "Kurogane-san, he needs your blood." She repeated, not opening her eyes as she kept up the spell. "When I tell you, you have to give him some more."

Syaoran wasn't sure how the girl had managed to shut off all her emotions as she worked on the mage, what with her spirit being so sensitive to everything around it and all, but he certainly admired her control as she went about the task. He wasn't sure he'd have been able to control his emotions enough for him to be able to use magic without it going haywire. Especially considering the fact that the man she was working on was something as close to her as her real family. And said man was coughing up blood by mouthfuls for almost a minute now.

"Now Kurogane-san," she said as her magic began to dissipate into the air, the magic circle slowly dying beneath her feet. From what he had been taught about his own magic during his time as the heir of the Li clan, magic circles demanded a lot more magic to sustain their spells than the ordinary non-circle spells. As a result, the spells that needed the circles were generally a lot more powerful, if draining, than ordinary spells. Although this was not true for all types of magicians as there were many that never had to rely on the circles to cast magic in the first place, Fai being a prime example of that. He watched as Kurogane hurriedly ripped off the piece of cloth from his wrist before holding the cut to the magician's lips.

Syaoran watched with bated breath as the ninja fed Fai his blood, Sakura's hands steadily glowing above the latter's chest, her eyes closed in concentration. He watched and watched as centuries seemed to pass by with Kurogane slowly massaging Fai's throat to make him swallow, a frown settles across his face, his narrowed eyes slowly taking in all the different types of bruises, cuts and other wounds littering his pale flesh wherever it was not covered in blood. His jaw seemed to tighten in barely contained fury as his hand freezing in its motion for a fraction of a second, his fingers gently brushing a vicious looking bite-mark in the junction of Fai's throat and shoulder. His red-eyed gaze snapped towards Syaoran, seeking confirmation and Syaoran could only nod shamefully. The story behind it all was Fai's to tell but Syaoran knew he could never insult his teacher's intelligence by outright denying what had happened. The ninja's eyes flittered towards the princess for a moment, worry flashing in his eyes as it did so but the princess remained oblivious of his little discovery.

"That's enough for now, Kurogane-san." Sakura said softly, without opening her eyes as she kept her hands glowing above Fai's chest steadily for a little while more. Syaoran traced the garish cuts in the magician's chest, taking note that none of them had closed up even a little. But a relieved and watery smile made its way to the princess's lips as she finally opened her eyes to look at them. "He'll live." She informed them before staggering back a couple of steps and leaning heavily against the wall there, "I just need to clean up and bandage his injuries and we can move him to the infirmary."

"Or we can have him moved up to the room attached to Masooma's," the Oracle suggested as he walked up to the princess and supported the girl as she almost slid to the floor. "You can move your belongings there as well. That way Fai will have two medics close at hand if something were to happen. Although seeing as Masooma's main priority still remains Syaoran, Fai will be your patient. That is of course if you still wish to heal him."

"I do." She replied with unwavering resolve.

"You do realize that it won't be easy." The man told her gently.

"I know what I'm getting into Nixon-san."

"Seeing as the wounds haven't healed completely," Kurogane spoke up, "I'm going to have to give him more blood sometime, aren't I?"

"Fai-san's vampire side is trying to fix the internal damage right now," the princess answered, pushing away from the wall and approaching the bed once more, "but it's too weakened to do everything on its own. I will let you know when you have to give him some more."

"The bastard just had to go and make everything hard for us didn't he." The ninja sighed, picking up the discarded piece of cloth from his feet before wrapping it around his wrist again. Seeing the princess's disapproving frown, he looked away, "I'll clean it up later." he said, referring to the wound before turning his attention back on the blond. "What I want to know is how he came back to life. The witch said the dead cannot be brought back no matter the price offered. None of us made a wish, so then how…" he trailed off, casting a confused glance at the princess. Syaoran wanted to know the answer to that as well but the jade-eyed girl seemed rather unsure.

"The human mind is a very strange thing," Sakura replied slowly, as though choosing her words with great care, "According to what Yukito-san taught me, a person does not truly die when their heart stops beating. That is why we were able to bring Tsubasa back when Syaoran-san's spirit was separated from his body. The human body shuts down slowly even though the heart is the first organ to fail at the time of death in most cases. Sometimes the damage done to the body is too great or the heart too weak to be restarted if help gets to the patient on time. There are cases when… if…" the girl shook her head for a little while, clearly trying to get her bearings straight. Syaoran was no healer but even he could tell she had expended a lot of her magic in saving Fai's life. She was no doubt feeling the strain now, "what I mean to say is… even though Fai-san's heart stopped beating, he did not truly die because his mind was still alive. It was starving from the lack of oxygen and dying slowly but… I think the vampire blood inside his body saved him."

"I gave my blood to the mage before his heart stopped," Kurogane frowned, "why didn't it heal him right away?"

"I am no expert in this matter but from what little we have on vampires in Clow," Sakura answered, "the blood needs to circulate inside their body to heal them. Fai-san's heart stopped before the blood could get into his veins."

_Then how…_ Syaoran decided to voice his thoughts as well.

"I think it's because of what you did, Syaoran-san" the girl said slowly, "You pumped his heart which caused the blood to flow through his body. Since Fai-san was… so weak," she seemed to be struggling with describing the magician's condition, weak was putting it lightly. Fai looked nothing less than death warmed over, what with all the burns and bruises and cuts and blood, the nearly translucent skin clinging to his bones, eyes sunken deep into their sockets… It was a heart-wrenching sight. "The effects of the blood working on healing him were not immediate and I'm sure after you stopped, his heart must have struggled to start working again for a while. It's only because he's part-vampire that he managed to survive."

_You mean he still could have died?_ The prospect of having truly lost the man was frightening to say the least.

"Yes." Was all that the princess was willing to say on the matter as she turned her attention to the Oracle, "Nixon-san, I'm going to need some washcloths and clean water as well rolls of bandages and healing salves." She informed the man.

"I'll see to it that you have those, Sakura." The man said, taking his leave, once again presenting the picture of a strong leader that was in control. There were no signs of the grieving man that had had his world torn apart at the death of someone he cared about. Syaoran watched his receding back until the man disappeared from sight completely.

"I'll go help." Kurogane said only a couple of seconds later as he too turned and left, leaving the brunette alone with the princess and the magician.

-0-

"You don't seem happy to see he's alive," Kurogane said as he came up behind the blind man who had just finished talking to that strange purple haired girl outside the infirmary. He could still recall the time they had run into her for the first time, her clothes torn and bloody, eyes wide and haunted, fear palpable in every part of being. In a way, this girl was the reason everything was the way it was. If they hadn't come across her upon their arrival in that city, they might not have found their way to this underground city and they might not have… It was all just one big 'what if' now, seeing as the bloody Hitsuzen had made everything turn so screwed up but… he couldn't help but wonder. What if they had not found this girl… what if they had not helped her… what if… what bloody if!

"You know what that woman did to him," The Oracle said softly just as the girl appeared from inside the infirmary with her arms laden with rolls of white gauze and washcloths and jars of salves. A small metal tub filled to the brim with a strange colored liquid floated in the air behind her on tendrils of purple magic as she did bow her head towards him in a respectful form of greeting before scurrying away.

"So what if I do?" he said, crossing his arms as he leaned against a pillar and observed the man closely. A ghost of a smile flittered across the other's lips before vanishing completely.

"He's lucky to have a friend like you."

"Don't change the subject." He growled.

"I'm not," the man replied with a tiny shake of his head. "Sakura mentioned how his mind was alive even after his heart stopped beating, right?"

"What about it?"

"What she failed to tell you, although I'm sure it wasn't her intention, was the extent of damage his body sustained."

"We're not blind," the ninja rumbled as he slammed the man into the wall of the infirmary, pulling him off the ground by taking hold of his collar. He took note of the way the man flinched at the word 'blind'. It might have been a little cruel to rub it in his face like that, after all that he had done to help them, but the fact that a part of him wanted the idiot to stay dead was something that irritated Kurogane to no end. The kids had not been able to pick up on it, but Kurogane had noticed the tiny hints even in his panic. It was probably all because of the way he had been trained, but even so. The bastard had no right to think that the mage should have died. "We could _see_ the damage he had sustained as you've put it."

"I'm not doubting your ability to observe things, Kurogane-san," the man replied a little coolly, surprising the ninja with the use of the honorific. From what he had understood of the man during what time he had spent in the Oracle's presence, the man had no patience for such customs. A spark of magic emanated from the blind man's skin, shocking Kurogane into letting go of him. Dusting off imaginary dirt from his shirt in a regal manner the man continued, "I'm pretty sure your sharp eyes would not have missed out any of those injuries even if the princess is a little too innocent to actually decipher the meaning behind those bite-marks."

"Get to the point." He snapped, slightly unnerved by the subtle hints the man had dropped in both his actions and his words. Though Kurogane had pushed the Oracle into a wall once before just the way he had done right then, the blind man had not retaliated in any form or way that time. This time however, with magic crackling in the air surrounding the magician, he could tell the act for what it was. The Oracle was subtly hinting that he would have no inhibitions about using his magic if Kurogane were to try and go for another physical assault. And the use of the honorific was no doubt another message, 'I am no Fai.' He seemed to be saying with those words. 'Don't expect me to behave the way he would.'

Kurogane had no doubt he would have been able to take on the man if things eventually got down to it, even if the idiot had told him how the Oracle's power rivaled that thrice damned Time-Space Witch's, he had enough faith in his own abilities as a warrior to know he would not die in a confrontation. Maybe he was being a little unrealistic but the odds had never stopped him before. Heck he had taken down an entire hoard of demons right after his village had been destroyed and he had been a mere child back then. He was sure he'd manage just fine this time around as well. But, a confrontation- even if it was a pretty good way to blow off all his pent up rage and frustration- was not what was needed at a time like this. There would be time for fighting later on. Besides it might be a good idea to hold on to his anger for a little longer, let it fester until he came face to face with that silver-haired bitch. He'd take great pleasure in dismembering her one tiny finger at a time. How dare she do all that to the kid and the mage? Although he did not care for her other victims but he was sure their situation would not have been much different from those two. Even as a ruthless killer before he'd been banished from his home to go on that journey by his master, Kurogane had been more humane with his enemies. At least their deaths had been swift but what she had done to the mage… Oh he'd enjoy making her beg for mercy indeed.

"The point Kurogane-san, is that Fai was dead for over five minutes." The Oracle said, breaking Kurogane out of his internal monologue while letting a little bit of impatience color his tone, "His mind was alive, true, just as the princess pointed out, but his heart was not beating. For those five minutes, almost no oxygen reached his brain. I don't mean to slight the extent of your knowledge for I am sure there are many learned healers from where you hail. But every world has a limit as to the amount of knowledge their people have gained about the human body. For those five minutes when his heart was not beating, his brain was shutting down… Surely you can understand what I'm trying to get at over here." He gave the man a frosty smile before continuing, "The extent of damage I was referring to earlier was this shutting down of his brain. His vampire half will no doubt heal him eventually but can you imagine what he will be going through until that happens? He could very well end up blind or comatose or locked inside his own body or lose the use of some other important part of his body until he is fully healed. Given the state we found him in, I wouldn't be surprised if he ends up suffering from amnesia too. And when he regains the memories that would be locked away, his vampire half will see to it that he does eventually… I'm sure you're smart enough to understand the implications."

Kurogane grit his teeth, glaring hard at the man rattling of the list of things that might end up being wrong with the idiot. What was his deal? Just because he had said something about the stupid man being blind, he had to go and slight his intelligence level. It was almost like he was implying Kurogane to be an embodiment of the saying that about 'brains vs brawn' or something.

The Oracle only sighed tiredly as he pinched the bridge of his nose as he spoke again, "He was still lucid when that woman carved him open," Kurogane's heart skipped a beat at those words, making him forget all about the Oracle's implied insults as the truth sunk in. He had noticed that Fai's eyes had been open when they had gotten to that chamber but… oh Kami… he had been _awake_ for that! "Add to that the fact that she raped him not long before that… do you have any idea what Fai is in for once he wakes up even if he doesn't remember everything at first? Forgive me for thinking it might have been a bit more humane to have let him die if only to spare him the pain of having to deal with these things."

"I want him to live just as much as you and the others," the Oracle admitted softly, "I love him like a brother and… I don't want him to suffer any more than he already has but I am the only one that can see what the future holds for him. Things are not about to get any easier just because he's out of the Complex."

Letting his words hang in the air, the man stepped around Kurogane and started down towards the tunnels that led to the other caves connected to Magihidusi. "I'll go and let Masooma know that Fai is back. I'm sure she'll appreciate knowing that."

"Wait a minute." He called out after the departing man.

"Yes, Kurogane-san?" he called out politely.

"I get your point, call me Kurogane," he grumbled irritably, "you're just like that damned idiot, you know that."

"Is that all you wanted to say?"

"Don't tell them about it." He said in a soft voice, "the princess or the witch. I don't think he would appreciate them knowing about what that bitch did to him. If they figure it out on their own…"

"The princess is too innocent to come draw a conclusion like that on her own," the Oracle replied in an equally soft tone, "and the marks of that ordeal will have faded away by the time Masooma comes to see him." The Oracle must have sensed his confusion for he elaborated, "I know the vampire blood is acting slower than normal so you're wondering how they would have faded away by the time she sees him, am I right? As much as she loves him, Syaoran is her main priority at present. Until she is sure she can leave the boy on his own she won't come to see Fai. After all, that _is_ her price."

"You won't tell them, then?" Kurogane needed to hear a verbal confirmation of the fact. From the way the blond had reacted to whatever secrets the witch had confided in him about her own time in captivity, Kurogane could guess she had undergone a similar ordeal. There were some things that a seasoned warrior like himself could tell apart upon sight. While victims of physical torture and abuse might react in almost the same way, there were tiny hints in their reactions to the things that caused them to relapse and the witch's behavior when the first time she had seen him, had let him know which category she fell under. He did not care for her as he did for Tomoyo or the princess or either of the brats, but he knew the idiot did.

"It is not my secret to tell." Was all the blind man said as he walked away.

_**A/N: And there you have it. You guys really didn't think I would kill him, did you? What do you think? The explanation Sakura gave is actually more or less accurate. I used the fact that people still haven't actually reached a proper agreement as to what is the exact moment when a person truly dies though from what I've looked up, it can either be when the heart stops beating which is what I had been using so far. Or when the brain truly dies. I decided to use the latter for Fai since I stick with the laws that CLAMP laid down which is that the dead cannot be brought back. But they didn't really specify when a person is dead so yeah… did you know that the human brain dies about 10 to 12 minutes after the heart stops beating. **_

_**Hope you guys liked the update. Lemme know what you guys think of the explanations. I hope I cleared it up but if you have any questions, feel free to ask away.**_

_**~Obsidian**_


	38. AN: Important Question People!

_**A/N: Sorry guys, this is not an update. ^_^; But! I've got a question and I'm too impatient to actually wait until the next update, seeing as I have yet to start working on that chapter so I figured I'd put up a note... **_

___**I was talking to my beta just a little while ago and she said she really wanted to see Fai's life before the start of TRC. Well the life that I've been showing you guys the glimpses of in Broken. Is anyone else interested in reading about that? My bunnies have already started hopping around thanks to my awesome as hell beta (even though I keep telling her I detest her for giving my plot bunnies more fodder to torture me with) but I'm curious about what you all think. **__**If you're interested in reading about Fai's life starting from somewhere around the time he took Masooma on as an apprentice to the time where he forced her to go away with Nixon, leave your vote in a review and I'll let my bunnies come up with stuff to fill in the blanks. I already have another story planned out but seeing as that has never really stopped me before, lets just say I'll start posting this one after I'm done with Broken. Speaking of which, we're three quarter of the way done with this story people. The end is near. *shot***_

_**It has been so much fun writing this story. Been over a year now and I've learnt quite a lot about writing even during this time. Especially when it comes to developing original characters. I've been told by several readers that they didn't really like OCs much in the beginning but they like the way I've developed mine. I'm really flattered you guys so thank you for all your praises and kind words and the yelling and the criticism and everything else.**_

**_So uhh... just leave a review telling me whether if you'd like to read a story about Fai and Masooma and Nixon back in Celes and I'll see what I can do about it. Or maybe I'll put up a poll on my profile... Hmm... I think I'll put up a poll so you can lemme know either way, k?_**

**_P.S. My Beta thinks the response is gonna be a 'resounding YES!'. I doubt that but... then again she keeps telling me I need to have more confidence in my abilities as a writer which I don't. ^_^;_**


	39. Belief

_**A/N: And I'm back with another update. Lots of angst and Tsubasa and Nixon and Masooma in this one for you guys to enjoy. By the way, thanks for all your votes you guys. If this keeps up, I think I might end up having to write that story after all. ;) The poll on my profile is still open if you guys want to vote by the way.**_

_**Now enjoy the update~**_

"_Thank you." she smiled gratefully at him as her fingers danced through the air, tracing out crimson runes that swirled around them, kicking up the ash and debris once more before he was plunged into darkness yet again. The whispering voices were back, echoing all around him as he tumbled through nothingness, until it all grew silent suddenly and he was slammed into a familiar place, his heart catching in his throat as he took in the dimly lit cell, the scents of blood, sweat and human waste assaulting his nose with a vengeance. _

_He…he was back in hell…_

_He couldn't breathe, nor keep himself from trembling all over. It had all been a trick. _They_ had just been looking for a way to get him back to the dungeons, and he had played right into their hands. Shaking his head in wide-eyed terror, he stumbled backwards until his back collided painfully with the slimy walls of his holding cell. _

"_I-I'm back…" he gasped, chest heaving with the effort to draw a proper breath as his vision began to swim. His insides churned violently as he took in his surroundings for a fraction of a second before squeezing his eyes shut. His body kept on shaking even as he pressed himself deeper into the wall. He couldn't be there. He _shouldn't_ be there. Why had she done it? If she had been working for _them_ after all, why had she tried so hard to make him trust her? Was it all just some sick game? To see how many times they could bring his hopes up before shattering them again? And his father… Was that the reason she brought him up? He should have known better. His father was nothing more than a memory inside his body, after all. How in the world would she have been able to talk to a memory? He had been a fool to trust her. _

_Wrapping his arms around his middle, Syaoran slid down to the grimy floor, keeping his eyes clenched as he fought against the urge to be sick. His stomach had nothing but bile to throw up, after all. He was _so_ sick of it all. He wanted it all to just end. Why couldn't they just let it _end?_ They had been dragging his torture out for so long, going so far so as to pull him back from the jaws of death just to continue this sick game. And now he had earned himself a new tormentor. The stench of blood was strong where he was, his nose sensitive to the smell after having spent so long breathing in the air stinking of nothing but the crimson liquid. He lost the battle to keep it all in as acidic bile bubbled up his throat and he doubled over, heaving violently as he vomited on the grimy floor._

_The door to his holding cell opened with an ominous squeal and he flinched at the sound, tears of frustration streaming down his cheeks as fear gripped his heart. He had to get out of there. He had to-a warm hand rested on his shoulder, making him jerk violently as he wrenched away from the touch, slipping on the pool of his sickness and crashing into the grimy floor with a pained yelp._

"_Syaoran, calm down." The woman spoke in that same disgustingly calm tone of hers that she had used earlier._

_Calm down? Calm down? How the heck could she expect him to calm down after she had dumped him back in the dungeon? For a fraction of a second, he had harbored hopes that he would never see this place again but she had gone and brought him back. He had known of nothing but pain and betrayal in this prison and just when there had been a small chance that he might have finally escaped, this… this horrid woman had brought him back. Was there a chance he could make it out of there? Maybe if he could somehow get rid of this woman, he could get out of this hell… Of course there was nothing but the desert past the limits of the city but even dying out there was preferable to being back here. At least, his agony would end once he perished on a sand dune. In here… they just kept on bringing him back._

_The loud clacking of heels mingled with the heavy thuds of several footfalls approaching the place where he was. His breath hitched up in his throat as his eyes shot open in panic. All thoughts of escape flew from his mind as he registered one thing. She had invited _them_._

"_This isn't real, Syaoran." Her words made him freeze in the motion of scrambling away._

"_Wh-at?" he rasped weakly. His throat burnt from the leftover feeling of bile that he had thrown up as he swallowed thickly. All sounds muted next to the violent pounding of his heartbeat in his eardrums. How… how could it not be real? There was no way, no way in hell, that this couldn't be real. The grime under his fingers, the reek of blood, the chill of the stones, everything… it was all too real to be something conjured up by his imagination. _

"_It's not real," The woman repeated as she took a slow step in his direction, stopping when he hurriedly pushed away. She sighed before slowly sitting down on the ground, a few feet away from him. "Look around you and tell me what you see, Syaoran?"_

_The footsteps were almost outside the cell now. Breathing in short, heaving gasps, his eyes darted in the direction of the dungeon door, which no doubt had a guard stationed outside of it. The woman's words flew from his mind as trepidation of the people stepping through that doorway cemented its hold on him. Any second _she _would step through that door and with her, would come pain and agony and-_

"_Syaoran, _focus._"The woman was suddenly blocking the door from his vision, crouching right in front of his face. With an alarmed yelp, he scuttled back. His eyes once again shot in the direction of the doorway. He could hear voices speaking outside but he could not make out the words they were saying. "Hey, look at me." The woman said as she moved to block his line of sight once again, though thankfully, she kept her distance from him this time around. "Breathe, alright?"_

_Breathe? But he had been breathing, hadn't he? The burning of his lungs told him otherwise. Forcing his lungs to draw in some air, he tried to look past the woman to the door, only to be stopped by her._

"_Relax, Syaoran. I promise nothing will happen to you."_

"_B-But…"_

"_Relax and focus on breathing for now, okay? I'll tell you what's going on." The voices were still speaking outside, and though he could tell that one of them was female and the others male, all of them sounded foreign to his ears. He had never heard any of them in his life before. Did this mean _they_ had gotten bored with him and passed him on to someone new?_

"_You said you couldn't remember when Kurogane, Sakura and Fai turned on you, right?"_

_Why was she asking him that again? Hadn't he already told her?_

"_Look in that corner," she said, pointing towards the back of the holding cell._

_His eyes followed the direction she had been pointing in and his heart skipped a beat at the sight that met his eyes. There, on the other side of the tiny room, with a small amount of blood seeping through his slightly torn short and his hands shackled high above his head, hung Syaoran. But unlike himself, that Syaoran was completely healthy looking. Apart from a small bruise blossoming out on the right side of his face and a little bit of blood, he looked completely normal…that Syaoran looked just like he had before things had gone to hell._

"_This is your memory, Syaoran." The woman told him softly just as the voices stopped talking outside. The time it took him to wrap his head around the idea was the time it took for whoever was outside to enter the room. It was a group of four people, out of which only one was female. They were all dressed in dark clothing, or maybe it was just due to the dim lighting of the room. The woman, and the man that stood beside her, were the most memorable due to their appearances, yet Syaoran could not remember having ever come across them. If this was a memory, why couldn't he recall meeting them before? _

_The woman had waist-length silver hair, dark, inky eyes and a cruel, twisted sort of smirk playing about her lips. The man on the other hand was completely bald, dark-skinned and eyes the same color as Kurogane's. Was he somehow related to that man? Aside from the tan and the red eyes, he couldn't really find any similarities between the two. Unlike his female companion, this man's expression betrayed nothing, though only a blind man could have missed the sadism burning bright in his eyes._

_The two men behind them were like the guards that _she_ had ordered to teach him a lesson whenever she was in a mood to just watch him suffer. Who were these people?_

"_Can you recognize them?" the woman that had brought him here-Masooma?-asked as the duo stalked up to the Syaoran that was tied to the wall._

"_No." He shook his head, frowning in concentration as he tried to remember. If this was a memory, why couldn't he remember these people?_

"_I suspected as much." He heard Masooma murmur as a sharp pang assaulted his head. Crying out, he clutched at his head just as his other self, the one tied to the wall, gave a pained yelp as well._

"_Shit! You're not supposed to feel the pain." He heard Masooma mutter as the witch crouched next to him. He instinctively tried to shy away from her, but her hands kept a firm hand on his shoulders as she observed him closely. "Something isn't right." She frowned at him before looking back at the boy in the memory. "Are you trying to do something?"_

_The people in his memory were speaking, but he couldn't hear their words past the pounding of his head. _

"_I'm trying to remember." He grit out against the pain._

"_Don't force yourself, Syaoran." She admonished him sharply as her soft fingers pressed against his temple and he felt a soothing magic flow into his body, forcing the pain away. "It will come to you. Trust me; you won't be able to handle the rush of those memories if you force them all out at once."_

_Not forcing himself meant having to wait to regain those missing memories. Speaking of which, why was he missing memories in the first place? Was his amnesia part of one of _their_ twisted games? It was a possibility. The princess had lost her memories once upon a lifetime. It was entirely possible they wanted to reenact it all in some twisted rendition of the journey his father and _her _other self had gone on, only this time he was the one with the missing past. They could have planted Masooma there as a mockery of the past. His father had been there to help _her _other self who had been blindly trusting of the brunette. Trust… it all came down to that in the end. She wanted him to trust her just as blindly as _she_ had his father._

"_Trust needs to be earned." He said bitterly, turning his gaze away to observe the memory just as his other self cried out again. He was different than _her. _After everything he had gone through, he'd be a fool to just hand it out to just about anyone who asked for it._

"_Then I guess I better start by explaining to you who those people are." She replied and despite himself, Syaoran found himself listening._

"_**- you and your friends thought you could break into the highest security building and steal something that didn't belong to you?" **__The bald man was saying to his memory self. __**"You magi are all the same." **_

"_His name is Bauld." Masooma told him just as the man punched his memory self in the gut. "He's one of the high-ranking hunters."_

_Taking note of the sudden shift in her tone from normal to almost mechanical, he cast a small glance in her direction out of the corner of his eye and noticed the paleness of her skin for the first time. Tiny beads of sweat stood out sharp against her pallid skin. Looking a little lower he noticed her hands that were clenched into tight fists. There was a tiny frown on her face and she almost seemed to flinch every time his memory self got hit by the bald man. It was almost like the sight of him being beaten was bringing back memories of a bad time for her. He did not let himself dwell on that thought for long though. He refused to believe that she could be someone like him. After all, it could all be a brilliant act on her part. _They_ were pretty brilliant actors and if she was planted there by them, who's to say she wasn't one as well?_

"_The woman standing next to him is his apprentice," she added in the same robotic manner, "and the two behind him are just some lowly grunts."_

_The pained yelp of his memory self drew his attention away from the witch. The woman beside the bald-man was digging her sharp nails into his memory-self's face, hissing something in his ear that he couldn't quite make out. Tiny crescents of crimson blossomed out on his cheek as the apprentice drew away on an order from the Bauld. Masooma said he was a high ranking hunter. That word caused something to stir within the deep recesses of his mind but whatever it was, slipped through his grasp when he tried to latch on to it. How was it that this witch knew who they were if they were something from his missing memories?_

-0-

Nixon hastened his footsteps, fearing that the ninja might try to come after him again. His heart thundered inside his chest as he made his way through the winding tunnels, guilt clawing viciously at his insides.

What he had told Kurogane about wanting the blond to remain dead to spare him the horrors that awaited him next was true, but it wasn't the complete truth. Part of him had wanted Fai to die. For a second, he had even _hoped_ the blond would die. It wouldn't have bothered him this much if his reasons for hoping for such a thing had been just what he had told the ninja, but as it was, they were a lot more selfish than noble. Afraid that the ninja might call him up on his deception, Nixon quickened his pace to a light jog.

Letting Fai die to spare him the agony of having to recover some semblance of sanity upon waking up… if only that had been his only reason… It was never that simple though. Not for Nixon. Despite all his sacrifices… despite everything, nothing was ever simple or easy for him. For a little while, his wish had been granted. Upset would be an understatement to depict his feelings when he had sensed the life escape Fai's body, but… a tiny part of him had actually _rejoiced_ at the magician's death. Feeling disgusted with himself, he broke out into a run, skidding to a halt outside the sun cavern.

Slowly, struggling to push away the guilt tearing him apart inside, he focused his attention on the three auras he could sense inside on the raised metal platform. Masooma's deep crimson aura was burning the brightest, telling him that she was still engaged in maintaining her spell. A steady stream of her magic was flowing into Syaoran's rather erratic aura. He figured it best not to focus his attention on that, lest he be drawn in by the brunette's wild magic and cast into the same spell. That might lead to a disaster. A little ways away, Neumro's calm aura told him that the captain was waiting for the healer to come out of her trance. The man had enough sense to know not to disturb her in the middle of a spell.

Taking in a deep breath, he put on a mask of collectiveness before stepping out into the magical sunlight. The warmth, however, could not chase away the cold knives that were constantly clawing at his insides, making him sick enough to want to throw up. "Captain Neumro," he called out, noting that the man turned around to face him, "you can return to your post now."

"Sir." The captain offered him a brief salute before turning on his heels and taking his leave.

A long while after the captain's footsteps faded away, Nixon remained rooted in his spot, making no moves to reach the platform. Heaving a small sigh, he shook his head and approached the duo sprawled out on the steel mesh that made up the platform's base. He closed his sightless eyes, imagining the way the sunlight must be bouncing off of Masooma's hair that was spread out around her form like a halo of crimson. It was the source of her magic, thus it was the thing he could sense the easiest when it came to the witch in question. He basked in the feeling of peacefulness that enveloped him for a moment as his senses filled up with nothing but her soothing presence. But then, guilt and bitter anger returned with such a vengeance that he stumbled back a couple of steps, almost losing his balance when his foot collided with the raised edge of the earthen pathway that connected the platform to the rest of the cave.

Gritting his teeth as he straightened up and hurriedly climbed to the platform, Nixon settled down on the sun-warmed steel mesh. He felt a few stray strands of her soft hair beneath his fingers as he placed his hands on the platform. Jerking away from her as though her hair had burnt him, he closed his eyes and turned his back towards the witch and the brunette beside her.

Everything always had to come back to her, didn't it? He loved her more than life itself, but his was a one-sided thing. She did not see him in the same light. She would_never_ see him in that light. She belonged to someone else, after all, and he knew he had no right wanting her… not after everything that had happened. But… the amber-eyed witch had been the other reason he had wanted Fai dead. There had been so many times in his life when he had wanted the blond dead, heck there had even been a time when he had actively wished for such a thing. But that had been so long ago. He had been so sure he had gotten over those feelings of bitterness towards the magician when they had gotten close enough to be considered brothers in everything except blood.

Everything that Fai had gone through in his captivity, he had known about it. He knew about the times when that bitch had her goons hold him down as she poured water down his throat. He knew about the times when she had them shove that feeding tube into his body so that she could feed him that rotten gunk. He knew about the times she had the blond beaten black and blue. He knew about _everything,_and he had done nothing at all. Masooma had begged him to do something, to find a way to save him, going on nothing but her imagination and memories of her own time spent in their clutches to try and come up with the horrors the blond must be going through in his captivity. He did not need his imagination to know what was happening to Fai, though. Any time he wished to know, all he had to do was find the tiny thread of blue that connected him to the magician, and he would know what was going on with the blond. She had begged him. Oh, how she had begged him to do something. Anything, really. But he had not budged.

His hands were tied with due to the deal he had made with the Shaman. That was the excuse he gave her every time she asked. Deep down inside, though… he knew that wasn't the reason. If he had truly wanted it…If he had _really _wished for it, he might have been able to find a way to circumvent the Shaman's bond. All he had done, however, was present an excuse and sit back and watch the blond suffer. As if…as if Nixon _wanted _Fai to remain in the Complex. After all, if he wasn't there, the blond would have been in Magihidusi. After he had found what he had been searching for, he would have left with his companions, and Masooma would have gone along with him, leaving Nixon all alone in a world of strangers. His deal had been different from the one Masooma had made with the Shaman after her rescue. He could not leave that world, not as long as the threat of the hunters remained. Masooma, on the other hand, only stayed there to be with her _friend_. She could leave anytime she wanted and he knew- even if the witch herself never said anything about it- he just knew she would have left with the blond when the time came for him to leave. Her friendship was all that he had left, and though he pretended to be selfless, his selfishness would never have allowed him to let her go. Of course, he wouldn't ever outright _ask_ her to stay. Not when her happiness was on the line, but he couldn't let her go.

And so…he acted like the selfish bastard that he was and presented her with that weak excuse. So what if the Shaman was the most powerful being in that world. He was the Oracle. He should have been able to find a way if he had wanted it…but he hadn't. So he didn't. The part of him that had rejoiced upon feeling the life leave Fai's body, that selfish part of him had actually purred in vicious satisfaction every time Nixon learnt of the blonde's deteriorating state in captivity, secretly hoping he would die before his companions arrived. After all, with the magician out of the way, who would Masooma turn to for comfort but her best friend? And maybe…maybe if given time, they would have been able to turn into something more…

But she wasn't his to want or keep or hope for, and so the guilt for wanting her, coupled with the guilt of leaving the man that was supposed to be his _brother _to suffer in hell, added to the guilt of secretly wishing for the same man's death, kept on eating away at him. It was too much for him to take and the jumble of opposing emotions raging a war for dominance inside him was enough to make him physically ill. Guilt, disappointment, relief, happiness, bitterness, anger… everything was struggling for control over him and he was in a miserable state. Clutching at his stomach and fighting to keep the nausea at bay, he tried to bring everything under control.

Up till now, from the time that Fai had been captured, he had focused his energy into the act of wanting to save Fai. He had been playing that little game of fooling himself so well that even with all the guilt and the loathing and the anger, nothing had vied for his attention. But then, he had gone and kissed Masooma and a tiny trickle of those feelings had leaked into his consciousness. Not long after that, Kurogane and Sakura and Syaoran had arrived and with them had come the prospect of Fai's rescue. The trickle of feelings turned into a stream. His little act ended when the blond died right after they had gotten him to safety. The stream turned to raging waves as the dam keeping all those negative feelings at bay broke, drowning him. Now he was struggling in a vast ocean, blindly searching for a piece of driftwood to latch on to.

This raging storm of tumultuous emotions did not show up on his face, though. Oh no. After all, he was just as practiced in the art of hiding behind masks as Fai, so no one but the most observant of people, such as that Japanese ninja for instance, could actually _catch_ a glimpse of his inner turmoil. He hated to admit it, but the ninja's uncanny ability to guess what was going on in his mind at times was unnerving. That was probably the only reason why he had lashed out at the other man outside the infirmary. He was afraid that if he didn't warn the man to back off, the ninja would tear of his mask and lay his emotions bare for the entire world to see. Clenching his sightless eyes shut, he curled in on himself, hoping that no one came this way for a while. His mask was starting to crumble and he was afraid of what the world might end up seeing in his moment of weakness. He had no doubts, though, that the sight that would meet their eyes would only make them hate him forever. He was so disgusting and repulsive on the inside.

"I'm so sorry,"he mumbled weakly, burying his head into his drawn-up knees, feeling his arms digging into the flesh of his stomach at this action, but this only made him curl up even more. He deserved the pain and discomfort for being the wretched, loathsome creature that he was. 'For wanting you dead, Fai. And for wanting you to be mine, Masooma.' He added inwardly as the tears that had not spilled from his eyes until now finally began to leak from between his squeezed lids. 'I'm sorry for all the pain I've caused you two. I'm so, so sorry…'

_**A/N: So can anyone tell what's going on inside Nixon's head? Did he really do all that or is this just the guilt talking? What's your opinion? Do you hate him for what he did or are you like me and actually feel sorry for the guy?**_

_**Edit: I just realized I forgot to add the links to some new fan-art for this fic. Well, I'm not really sure whether it oughtta be called fan-art or just art seeing I'm the one that drew the sketches but anywho... here's the links to the pictures I uploaded in my Deviantart account. Feel free to browse through the rest of the gallery as well**_

_**Masooma and Nixon: http: / .com /art /The- Guardians2- 281793534**_

_**Sakura: **__** http: / .com /art / The- Warrior- 281794892 **_

_****__**Masooma in Celes: **__****__** http: / .com /art / Free- Me- 281795102 **_

_Just remove the spaces. I hope the links show up. If they don't just go to my Deviantart account through the link on my profile and see the latest uploads in my gallery, k?_

**_Until next time_**

**_~Obsidian_**


	40. Bad Blood

_**Beta'd version of the chapter. Enjoy.**_

He groaned a little as he came to, the cold of the dungeon replaced by the warmth of sunlight. A pale blue sky, with thin wisps of white clouds, greeted him as he opened his eyes. Turning his head a little to the right, he found himself staring at Masooma, her eyes closed, complexion pale and her brow dotted by sweat, just like it had been inside his memory. He knew it was a memory now. A part of him _knew _it to be a memory. He wasn't sure how he knew it was true, but he did. He could tell there was no magic being involved in making him believe that, because in his mindscape- for that was where Masooma had taken him to view the memory- he could easily identify any and all sorts of magic being cast. And after he had called her out on using magic to make him trust her, she had not used her magic at all, save for that one time to soothe his pounding headache.

Now that he had established that what he had seen had indeed been a memory, he found himself… not exactly trusting the witch, but maybe a little more willing to listen to what she had to say. After all, just like she had said, she had not done anything to hurt him so far. True it had only been a day-it had been just a day, right?-since he had met her, but she had yet to hurt him, which was more than what he could say for _them. _Even if this was all just some sick, twisted game, he knew now that he was missing memories and if playing along was what it took for him to regain what he had lost, he'd play along. He'd bide his time and see what they did next before doing something. 'After all,' a bitter voice spoke inside his head, 'it's not like you can go anywhere in your current state.'

"So, you're awake." A deep, slightly husky voice observed. He jumped a little, cursing himself for letting his guard down enough to let someone sneak up on him. He shot up, looking around him wildly, before his eyes settled on the form of a dark-haired man who was probably the owner of the voice. "That means Masooma will be waking up soon."

"Who are you?" the question was past his lips before he could stop himself. Syaoran could not see much of the speaker from the position he was in, with the man's back turned towards him and his entire frame hidden underneath a deep blue cloak that appeared almost black in places. A strange scent hung about his person, though Syaoran had trouble placing it because it was so faint, probably due to the fact that they were in such an open space. He saw the man's back tense a little at his words before he visibly forced himself to relax.

"Who am I?" the man repeated, chuckling a little, though even Syaoran could tell there was no mirth behind the action. "I suppose I could tell you I'm your friend," he mused lightly, "but not only would that be clichéd, it would also sound like a big fat lie considering the fact that you don't remember ever having met me."

"Who told you that?"He asked stiffly, narrowing his eyes warily as he looked around them once more. There was no one else in the cave apart from the three of them. The man's scent made him a little uneasy; as it reminded him of blood for some reason, though he could not really see any blood in the vicinity. How did this man know about his missing memories?

"No one at all." The man answered in that same airy tone. Syaoran waited for the man to continue. If he was trying to mess with his head, he would not react in whatever manner this man expected him to.

"You don't have to be so wary of me, Syaoran." He chuckled again.

"Shouldn't you be telling me your name?" he asked coolly, though it was taking all his control to not panic right then and there. This man knew his name and he knew about his missing memories. "And shouldn't you at least turn around and look at me when you're talking to me?" Without a name to go on and without a face to attach to that deep voice that reminded him a little of Kurogane, Syaoran wasn't really sure what to think of this man. The paranoid part of him wanted to turn and run, to get as far away from him as possible-he knew too much about him-but the slightly rational part of him, the part that told him to lie in wait and get his memories back with the witch's help, that part of him told him to face the man and see what he could get out of him. After all, if he knew about his missing memories, Syaoran might be able to get him to let something slip. Plus, even if he wanted to, without the use of his legs, he'd never really be able to get very far. No, it would be best not to let this man know that he was rattling him.

"I can turn around if you want," the man said, as he did as asked, "Though I doubt I'd be able to _look_ at you." Syaoran's frown deepened a little upon hearing those words until he got a look at the man's face. Or, more specifically, his eyes. They were a dull, spark-less grey.

"You're blind." He gasped, shock coloring the tone of his voice. Maybe it was the air of power that surrounded his presence or the fact that this man knew he was awake without even looking at him that had made Syaoran think so, but he had not expected him to be blind.

"The Oracle, at your service," the man gave him a lopsided grin, "but you can call me Nixon."

The Oracle. Another word that caused a stir within his mind, but just like before, whatever feeling it was that was attached to this word escaped his grasp. Not wanting another assault of that blinding headache, Syaoran forced himself not to chase after that feeling.

"We have met before." He found himself saying instead.

"Of course." The Oracle's grin widened a little, "Like I said, I was your friend. Or, well, I think I was." He added sheepishly, scratching the back of his head awkwardly, "I'm not quite sure whether you considered me a friend or not. You were always so polite around me that I could never really tell. Now Masooma, on the other hand," he added with a laugh, "it was always fun to see you stutter around her."

"_See_ me?" Syaoran frowned.

"Well not exactly _seeing_ see but more like seeing see," the man replied casually, "You know, it was like seeing you without really seeing you."

Syaoran blinked. "…What?"

"I can't see like normal people because, as you just put it, 'I'm blind.'" The Oracle replied, and Syaoran found himself blushing a little in embarrassment at having been so callous. "But I'm not blind entirely. I've got what you could say… a sixth sense if you will. Makes up for not being able to see in the sense that I can sense auras, which is pretty darn helpful at times, I'd say." He grinned with a wink. Funnily enough, despite being blind, the man was looking right at him. Or well, right through him, which was somewhat unnerving.

"How is it helpful?" he wondered out loud, hoping the man would look away.

"Well, I can tell when someone is lying, from the way their aura changes colors." He answered with a shrug, "Plus, it lets me know where people are around me without even having to look. And I can tell when someone is uncomfortable with me looking at them." He added in a conspiratorial whisper, though he did not look away. Syaoran vaguely wondered if this man, the Oracle, was enjoying his discomfort as he averted his own gaze. He tensed up as he caught sight of the man's hands for the first time. His long cloak had been concealing the rest of his body from view but the man had just lowered his arm from scratching the back of his head. "What's wrong?" he asked as Syaoran's breathing sped up, though he must have sensed some shift in his 'aura' to know that something was out of place.

"Blood." The brunette gasped in response, slowly pushing away from the Oracle as the latter's smile transformed into a frown.

"Blood?" he repeated in a confused tone.

"Th-there's blood… on your hands…" he replied, moving further away.

"My- oh…" Nixon murmured before hurriedly pushing his hands back into the folds of his cloak. This man had blood on his hands. That was why Syaoran could smell it in the air. "It's a friend's," he explained somberly, turning his back towards the crawling brunette who stilled upon hearing those words, "He was stuck in a position similar to your own. This is his."

"Who is-" Syaoran's next words were cut off by a small groan from Masooma, who sat up holding her head with a pained expression.

"Let's not jump into your memories without some prior preparation next time, okay, Syaoran?" she said, "I feel like I got ran over by a stampede of Northern Bullhorns or something." Syaoran had no idea what a Northern Bullhorn was, but he could tell it meant she was not feeling good. Sustaining a spell for so long had probably taken its toll on her. The bruises under her eyes had darkened considerably. Added to that, the slightly sickly pallor of her skin made him feel a little concerned for her. It was with this observation that he startlingly realized just how much he had let his guard down around these two. He had even forgotten about the blood coating the Oracle's hands for a little while… as refreshing as it had been, talking to the other man without having to worry about anything else, he felt cross with himself for having allowed himself to become so relaxed. He couldn't remember the last time he had felt so at ease, but this was neither the time nor the place for something like that. He did not even know where he was or who these people were or why they were helping him. He wasn't about to trust them just because they _said_ they were his friends. He'd learnt his lesson about trusting his friends blindly.

"You shouldn't push yourself past your limits, Masooma." Nixon spoke up suddenly, making the witch turn her head so swiftly that the resulting crick made Syaoran wince.

"Nixon?" Syaoran noticed the shock in her voice, "Wh-What are you doing here? Aren't you supposed to be…" she trailed off, casting a rather wary glance in his direction, making Syaoran frown in response when she turned her attention back towards the Oracle. She was hiding something. The Oracle had all but forgotten about him and his half-asked question, and the witch did not want him finding out about whatever it was that the man had been up to.

"That's why I came." Nixon replied somewhat stiffly. "There was a change in plans."

"What happened?" Masooma was immediately on her feet, her dark hair whipping about her body at the action.

"Relax, we've got him back." Came the response as the Oracle slowly climbed to his feet, keeping his back turned towards the two of them. It was almost as if he was avoiding looking at the witch. Or maybe, he was trying to keep the witch from seeing him and the blood that was on him. Maybe it was a little bit of both.

"Is he…" she hesitated, worrying her lip slightly as she reached out to touch the Oracle's shoulder before shaking her head and drawing away, "Is he okay?"

"As well as can be," he replied, "considering the circumstances involved."

"Where is he?" she asked, her voice sounding just a little shaky. "I should-"

"He has a well-trained healer looking after him even as we speak," the Oracle cut in smoothly, "you should be more worried about the wellbeing of your own patient."

"My _patient_ is none of your concern." Masooma replied sharply, without even sparing a glance in his direction, as she appeared too busy glaring at the back of the man's head.

"Well, considering the fact that I care about his wellbeing," he replied a little coolly, "I'd say it is."

Syaoran thought it was a little funny for some reason, the way they were discussing Masooma's patient, meaning himself, as if he wasn't there at all. He didn't mind, though. Just watching them talk and interact was answering a few of his questions. The 'friend' whose blood was on Nixon was apparently the same man Masooma was worried about. And from the looks of it, she cared a lot about him. From the way the Oracle appeared to be treating her, there was some tension between the two people present. These two danced around each other's words, subtly trying to avoid a fight that had to be in the making for a while. If he could have forgotten about his own problems for a little while, it would have been almost entertaining to watch. After what had to have been months of nothing but agony and fear and confusion, being forgotten and not in pain was actually a bit of a relief. Plus, even though he was a little uncomfortable sitting on the metal platform, he didn't care much about it. These two strangers that claimed to be his friends from a time he couldn't remember, they were acting far too normal around him to be a part of some act put on by _them_ to mess with his head. He'd still wait and see for a little while longer before deciding about everything that was going on around him, but for now, he was content to sit back, watch and learn whatever he could.

"Who's looking after him?" Masooma asked, completely ignoring what the Oracle had said. Syaoran noticed how her eyes stared right at the man's head, yet did not look exactly at him. He had no doubt something had happened between the two and this was clearly the first time they were talking after whatever it was had happened. He might have never actually noticed all the subtle hints in their actions and body gestures before, but after having gone through hell, he had learnt to be a lot more observant of his surroundings. For instance, even though he was watching Masooma and Nixon, he knew that there were about three other tunnels that led out of the sun cavern apart from the one that Masooma had used to bring him there earlier. The path leading to one of these tunnels was quite winding and littered with tiny pebbles and weeds, which meant that that tunnel had not been used in a while. There were small carvings in the form of complicated-looking seals and runes running all over the walls of the cave, no doubt sustaining the spell that caused the roof of the cavern to reflect the midday sky. There were also seals carved above all the tunnel entrances, though he wasn't quite sure as to what purpose they served.

"A skilled healer, who also happens to be his close friend." Syaoran wondered why the two were avoiding the use of names. He was pretty sure it had something to do with his presence there, though, so he doubted they'd tell him if he asked. He decided to question the witch about it once they were alone. "Don't worry Masooma. He won't die just because you were not there to personally look after him. He's not in any immediate danger, and you will be notified if any complications were to arise."

"I just…" Masooma seemed to deflate for some reason, her earlier anger vanishing as she looked away, "want to see him."

"He's resting." Nixon told her quietly as he started walking away.

Masooma merely stood there, clenching and unclenching her fists as she struggled to come to some sort of decision. Or that was what she seemed to be doing to Syaoran. Her eyes hardened as she finally shook her head and looked back at the Oracle's retreating back.

"Nixon," The man halted in his footsteps though he did not turn around to face her. He paused for a few short moments, waiting for her to speak, before he heaved a sigh and started walking again. "Wait…" he faltered, stopping at the sound of her voice again, "please, I-I… what happened that day… I'm really-"

"Save it, Masooma." The Oracle cut in sharply, cold anger rolling off of him in waves, "I was frustrated with the way you were acting back then. Just forget about it, alright? Get over it and move on. Oh, and while you're at it, I'd suggest you get Syaoran to his room. He could use some rest after the stress of having to relive his memories."

"How about I'll worry about my job and you worry about yours?" she hissed acidly, but he was gone with a swish of his deep blue cloak before Masooma reached the end of her sentence. Sighing heavily and somewhat shakily, she turned away from Syaoran for a little while. Syaoran chose not to comment on her bloodshot eyes and slightly wet cheeks when the witch turned back around to face him with a small smile. "I really should be getting you back to your room." She said, moving closer to help him into the wheelchair, "You must be pretty tired after that whole ordeal."

The walk back to the room he had woken up in was spent in silence, leaving Syaoran to contemplate on what he had discovered so far.

-0-

Sakura pushed her hair out of her eyes with one hand before dipping the washcloth into the tub of crimson liquid and wringing it slightly to get rid of the excess water. Straightening a little, she used the cloth to wipe away some more blood, taking great care not to pull at the torn flesh of Fai's chest. Dipping it back into the water, she looked towards the doorway before returning her attention to the task at hand. She was vaguely aware of Syaoran's eyes on her as she cleaned the blood of off Fai, but she made herself not think about anything at all.

She felt strangely disconnected from reality as her body repeated the mechanical motions of dipping the cloth in the tub of medicated liquid, wringing the cloth before bringing it to the pale flesh covered in blood and grime and wiping a little bit of it off before repeating the actions. She had no doubt it would all come rushing to her in a few hours when she would be alone, but for now she could not bring herself to fight off the haze that was consuming her. She needed to focus on what she was doing. Magic and Kurogane's blood could get the blond only so far. With the state he was in, he was going to need a lot more help and she was the only one that could provide him with that.

She was exhausted and every part of her body was screaming for relief. With all the magic she had expended so far it was a wonder she had not passed out in a dead faint already. Had her magic been any weaker, she would have succumbed long ago, maybe even long before she could have been of any use to Fai. But being powerful, magically-speaking, had its upsides. As she brought the cloth back to Fai's chest a strong hand gripped her wrist, startling her out of her stupor for a little while as she jerked her head in the direction of the body attached to the arm holding her.

"Kurogane-san?" she questioned, wondering why the older man had stopped her.

"I'll clean him up," he replied in the gruff manner that was all Kurogane as he pried the washcloth from her fingers and gently pushed her out of the way. "Take a break and catch your breath. You look ready to fall over."

"I can't," she shook her head, moving away to retrieve a second washcloth, hurriedly soaking it in the medicated water before wringing it to get rid of the excess water, "Fai-san needs-"

"Proper care," the ninja interrupted her, "and with the state _you're_ in, he won't get that."

"But…" she protested weakly before feeling Syaoran's cold touch on her shoulder. She turned her gaze in the spirit's direction and was hit with a pang of longing. She missed her Syaoran.

_Why don't you get some fresh air at least?_ The spirit suggested kindly, _it might help refresh your mind a little. Fai-san looks like he'll need stitches for… _he gestured helplessly in the direction of the blonde's blood-covered body that Kurogane was busy cleaning with surprisingly gentle strokes._Violetta-san did not bring anything that we can use to do that. _

"I'll clean him up," Kurogane grunted, "You should go and get some needles and threads."

_Come on, Sakura-hime_. At the brown-haired apparition's prompting she let the washcloth drop back into the tub of water with a small nod.

"I'll be back soon." She promised softly before turning and walking out of the room. She heard Syaoran say something to the ninja quietly before hurrying after her.

They walked in silence for a little while, the princess hurriedly ducking into a side corridor as she spotted Tsubasa being wheeled down the corridor by Masooma. The witch appeared exhausted and as soon as she came within range of Sakura's magic, the princess picked up waves of fatigue rolling off the woman. Sadness and pain also hung about the witch like a dark cloud, but it was only because of the empathic nature of her magic that Sakura was able to tell what she was feeling. Tsubasa appeared to be quite tired himself, but unlike Masooma, he appeared to be in deep thought, his brow furrowed in concentration as he puzzled over something. A pang of longing reverberated within her chest as she caught sight of the brunette. She took a step in his direction before catching herself. She couldn't see him yet… that was part of the price.

Clenching her eyes, she hid herself deeper in the shadows of the corridor, ignoring Syaoran's curious gaze on her as the pair passed by their hiding space. Only when she could no longer hear the sound of Masooma's footsteps did she step out.

_Why did you hide?_ Syaoran asked quietly.

"We're not supposed to see Syaoran until he's back to normal." She murmured before setting down the corridor with a brisk walk.

_Why not?_ She heard curiosity tint the apparition's tone as he caught up with her.

"We made a wish to Watanuki-kun that the next world that Mokona goes to be Magihidusi since Mokona has no control over the world it lands in." she replied, slowing down at the end of the corridor. Once outside the pryamidical structure, she stopped altogether, wrapping her arms around her stomach as she turned her back towards the spirit. "We had to get to Fai-san as soon as possible. After seeing the state Tsubasa was in… we knew we had to get here as soon as we could. " her tone became distant as she spoke, her surroundings blurring out until nothing was left but herself in the midst of a vast emptiness, "We couldn't leave Fai-san to suffer… but, we couldn't leave until Tsubasa was better… We couldn't leave him behind in the state he was in… and now Fai-san is… he's suffered so much… even if he can heal faster because of what he is… he didn't deserve that… Tsubasa didn't deserve that… what did they ever do to deserve such a thing? Life has already been so hard for them and now this…"

_Sakura-hime, _Syaoran's touch felt surprisingly warm on her shoulder, startling her out of her reverie as he walked around to stand in front of her, _I know it may not seem that way now… but, _his finger brushed against her cheeks and she was surprised to find that she had started crying again,_ everything will be alright._ The comforting smile he sent her way made a fresh wave of tears to cascade down her cheeks. Standing there, staring at her with such a reassuring gaze, smiling that gentle smile of his, only made her miss her Syaoran. A small burst of warmth flared inside her chest for a fraction of a second, overwhelming longing plaguing her until she found herself throwing her arms around the surprised apparition's body, burying her face in his chest as she sobbed her heart out.

"Will it, Syaoran? Will it really?" Had she been less stressed, she might have paid attention to the fact that she could suddenly touch the spirit without passing through him. But as it was, she let herself drown in his comforting presence as the apparition returned her hug, gently rubbing her back as he pressed his mouth into her hair. She closed her eyes, drinking in the scent that was unique to Syaoran- a soft blend of sandalwood, desert wind and sunshine- pretending that it wasn't the spirit that held her but her beloved.

_I sure hope so, Sakura._ He murmured and she tightened her grip, afraid that when she opened her eyes and stepped away, her little deception would fall apart and she'd remember who this man in her arms was. She did not want the guilt of her actions to attack her just then, so she kept her face buried in his shirt, hoping that maybe, maybe when she opened her eyes it would all turn out to be a bad dream and she would still be in _her_Syaoran's arms, who would smile and tease her for being silly before kissing her tears away. Little did she know, the spirit holding her was fooling himself in a manner not much different than her own. Sooner than either of them would have liked, the magic or whatever had given the brunette a solid form faded away and she stumbled through his body. Clenching her fists and gritting her teeth, she forced the tears away, hastily rubbing her eyes with her knuckles to dry her face a little.

"Watanuki-kun granted our wish provided that we, that is, Kurogane-san, Moko-chan and I, don't go anywhere near Tsubasa until Masooma-san has healed him." She said before the apparition had a chance to say anything.

… _I see._ She heard Syaoran say after a brief silence. _Where _is_ Mokona by the way? I haven't seen it around._

She was thankful that the brunette did not bring up what had just happened. She did not want to think about her moment of weakness.

"Moko-chan is resting in Masooma-san's quarters." She replied, "Right after we arrived here, Mokona said something about the magic here tampering with its magical core. The last time they were here, Moko-chan didn't feel any ill effects because it was in a coma and its core was shut off from everything else. Now, however, it is making Moko-chan sick so to protect itself Mokona went into a deep sleep."

_When will Mokona wake up?_

"I'm not sure," Sakura answered, "but from what it said, I think Mokona won't wake up until it's time for us all to leave."

Silence pervaded between them next, both unsure about what else to say. Sakura struggled to gather her raging thoughts, very much aware of the apparition's presence right behind her. Regret about what she had done coiled around her heart, squeezing it painfully like a snake does its prey. This man was not her Syaoran, even if they shared the same face and soul. No matter their similarities, they were different and her Syaoran did not deserve to be replaced by someone else, even if it was just an attempt to comfort herself. And Syaoran-his father, that is-did not deserve to be used in that manner either.

_So…_ at the sound of the spirit's voice, she forced herself to pay attention, even if every part of her just wanted to crawl into a hole and cry her eyes out. A small, involuntary laugh bubbled up her throat at his next words as she turned back around to look at him,_ any idea which way to the infirmary?_

The brunette offered her an understanding smile, his eyes silently letting her know that it was okay to be a little selfish sometimes. She returned the gesture with her own shaky smile as he gently took her hand in his cold fingers and pressed a small kiss to the back of it, not unlike the way Fai had done with her other self on numerous occasions after Acid Tokyo. He had been equally guilty of using her, after all.

_**A/N: Tsubasa gets to meets Nixon who in turn acts like a complete jerk to Masooma. Sakura longs for her Syaoran but turns to the next best thing for comfort. I wonder if her actions might to come back to bite her later on. After all, given the stress she's under, she might be turning to him again, no? How many of you noticed that Syaoran called her by her name without any honorifics? **_

_**By the way, the blood on Nixon's hands was the only thing that Syaoran **_**saw.**_** There's more there but it's hidden underneath the cloak. Hmm… I can't think of anything else to say right now so leave a review and lemme know what you think.**_

_**~Obsidian**_


	41. Bandaged

_**A/N: I'm back with another update. Have a fun read. **_

Sighing to himself, Kurogane finally hung the dirty washcloth on the rim of the tub filled with bloody water before settling down on the edge of the bed. Casting a glance in the direction of the doorway, Kurogane returned his attention to the unconscious blond. His eyes were closed, dirt and blood-matted hair sticking to his face in places, though he had done his best to clean him up as much as possible. Now that the grime had been cleansed off of his body, the full extent of the damage done to the blond was laid bare for the world to see. Apart from the Y-shaped cut bisection in his torso, there were bruises of all shapes and sizes littering his entire body. The right side of his face was swollen and purple, decorated with small cuts that appeared to have been made with the tip of a sharp knife. Similar cuts ran down the side of his neck and chest, interspersed with deep scratches that were probably the result of someone, most likely that silver-haired bitch, raking her nails across his skin. There were rings of torn flesh on both his wrists and ankles, no doubt formed when he struggled against whatever was being used to retain him. Hand-shaped bruises also covered his shoulders and the sides of his waist, each mark tipped with small crescent wounds that were starting to scab over.

As he picked up the healing salve and twisted its cap, Kurogane felt almost glad at having sent the princess away when he had. As naïve as she was, even _she_ would have been able to deduce what had happened to the blond from those wounds. Dipping his hand in the jar of cool paste, the ninja scooped out a handful before applying it to Fai's cheek, gently rubbing it over the bruises and cuts before moving on to the bite marks on his shoulders and neck. The blonde's entire back was burned, as he had discovered while washing the blood off, but he knew he'd have to wait until the princess had finished stitching up the blonde's chest before attending to those. Dipping his hand into the jar, Kurogane scooped up some more salve, moving to the bruises on his waist. The blond was still having trouble breathing, but he did not appear to be in any immediate danger of choking or dying. The ninja felt almost glad about having forced the magician to become a vampire back in Tokyo after the kid had gone berserk and gouged out one of the blonde's eyes. After all, it was only thanks to the fact that he was a vampire hybrid that the idiot was still alive after everything he had been through.

_Forgive me for thinking it might have been a bit more humane to have let him die, if only to spare him the pain of having to deal with these things._

As his fingers gently massaged the salve into the blonde's skin, his thoughts strayed back to his confrontation with the Oracle. Maybe he had been a bit too harsh with the man. After all, the Oracle was one of the idiot's closest friends, from what he had seen during their stay in this world the last time. As much as he hated to admit it, the Oracle did have a point. He'd have to apologize to the man the next time he saw him. The mage was in for hell when he woke up…he hoped the kid's presence might have helped the blond retain enough of his sanity to not scream himself hoarse at the sight of them. He did not know what he'd do if the idiot started acting like the other kid.

Realizing that the blonde was still completely bare, he looked around for something to cover him up with. After a couple of minutes of searching, his eyes landed on a spare, unused washcloth that he spread over the unconscious man's hips. Lathering up some more healing salve on his fingers, he moved on to the magician's thighs, tending to the motley of purple, green and yellowing bruises there that appeared to have been made from something thick and long, a stick perhaps? The bastards had used knives to carve deep cuts into the flesh of his legs as well, though thankfully, they had spared the tendons. He doubted he'd have been able to heal that sort of crippling wound even with the accelerated healing that came with being a vampire. The knee of his left leg was swollen and almost blackened, however, and he wondered what had been used to damage it in that manner. Nevertheless, he carefully worked the paste into the injury, noticing with some satisfaction that the mixture of herbs had already helped lessen the swelling to some extent. It was probably spelled to accelerate the healing process. Already he could see the cuts scabbing over and the bruises lightening by a shade.

Once he was done with the salve, Kurogane stepped back to observe his handiwork for a second before frowning thoughtfully. Casting another glance in the direction of the doorway and the empty hallway beyond it, he eyed rolls of bandages placed on the small table that had held the jar of healing salve. Deciding that the best way to keep the princess in the dark would be to hide the injuries from her sight, he picked up some gauze and looked around for something sharp enough to cut the bandage to an appropriate size. Sadly, he could not find anything that would work so he had to settle for summoning his sword. The silver blade was still stained with the blood of all the hunters he had cut through in his attempt to reach the mage before it was too late. Impatiently, he wiped the blood off with the pink piece of cloth he had hung on the tub. As he bandaged the blonde's injuries, he wondered why none had gotten infected even if some of them looked as though the blond had received them several days ago. He knew the hunters had a habit of healing their victims' wounds to prolong their agony by keeping them alive for longer, thanks to the princess, but it still came as a bit of a surprise and relief to him to know that the wounds would heal without creating any further complications.

He had just finished tying the knot to the bandage he had wrapped around the blonde's throat to cover the marks there when the princess walked back in with the kid right at her heels. The girl refused to meet his eyes and the kid hurriedly looked away with a vague gesture when he raised a questioning brow at the brunette.

"I'll take it from here, Kurogane-san," the princess told him quietly, as she set her supplies on the table right next to the half-empty jar of healing salve before threading a hooked needle. Tying a knot at one end, the girl then muttered a hurried spell, small golden tendrils of magic wrapping around her hands and the thread and needles before dissipating in the air. Kurogane spent the next hour or so watching the auburn-haired girl as she expertly sewed the Y-shaped rip. He tried counting the stitches but stopped after the count reached forty. It sickened him to his stomach to see but he forced himself to keep his gaze fixed on the torn chest. An involuntary shudder ran down his spine, the image overlapped with that of the one he had witnessed in that dungeon, with blood everywhere, the whites of broken ribs peeking through the red in some places, the flattened lung, the struggling heart… shaking his head, Kurogane pushed the image away, noting the way the princess avoided looking at the mage's face. The girl's control over her emotions had surprised him. She was strong, of that he had never had a doubt, but just how strong she truly was, was revealed to him as she had healed the mage earlier on. She had collected her emotions quick enough to be able to save the idiot's life and even now she was stitching him up without breaking down.

-0-

Nixon bit back an angry curse as he broke out into a run the minute he was out of the cave. So what if he couldn't see anything. He did not need his eyes to know that he had made her cry. He had made Masooma _cry. _The witch that hated showing weakness, that hated shedding tears, the girl who had helped him after he had become blind, the one that had kept him company in an alien world, the one who had stuck by his side through thick and thin, the one whose happiness mattered more than everything else in the world, he had made that person cry. As if he had not sunk low enough already. Dodging people left and right, shying from their happy greetings, he ran through the marketplace. He ignored the council member calling after him as he passed the part of the pyramid that served as the executive block of Magihidusi. In his haste, he almost bowled over a couple of new recruits, but with his training from back in Celes where he had learnt how to dodge spells and other projectiles at almost superhuman speeds, he nimbly sidestepped the startled guards, not even bothering to throw an apology their way as he vanished down the dark corridors of the lower levels of the pyramid.

The damp, slightly musty air of the underground tunnels hit his nose as he pushed himself to run faster. He did not know what he was running from, but he knew he had to get far, far away. He had to get his raging emotions under control before he ended up doing something that would make him hate himself even more than he already did. Using his 'sight' to look only enough to know that he would not collide into the walls, he raced through the cold, abandoned labyrinth of twisting tunnels, not even bothering to note the path he was following. Something collided with his foot and he stumbled, crashing harshly into the grimy floor and skinning his palms, legs and arms as he fell. His breath burned in his throat as he exhaled, chest heaving with the effort as he lay where he was. He could feel the blood seeping from his wounds, but he could not summon the energy to stem the flow. 'It will clot in a little while anyways.' A tiny voice murmured gently in his ear as he shuddered, drawing his knees closer to his body, assuming a fetal position. He felt so tired… and drained.

It had been so hard to smile and pretend like everything was alright in the world when he had been speaking to Syaoran. He had known it would be a while before Masooma woke up and since the boy needed to trust those around him, he had done his best to make him relax a little by acting like nothing was wrong. Like he had not played any hand in his best friend, no! His brother's death. And then Masooma had woken up and it had become impossible for him to act that way because every word that left her mouth had been like a knife that pierced his heart. He tried to let her know and leave as fast as he could. He tried to not let her see his guilt. But in doing so, he ended up being rude and cold. But in a way, that was good. She'd get angry at him and he would be able to get rid of some of his guilt because of how she treated him because he deserved to be treated that way. With his own twisted logic, it had all made sense and so he tried to rile her up. But in a surprising display of self-control, the witch had swallowed her anger and he found himself internally crying out to her to yell at him. She then started to apologize to him for _that _day and he knew… he knew that if he let her finish what she was trying to say…he knew that he'd be crushed. The twisted, dark part of him still harbored hope- despite everything else- it still hope, prayed, _wished_ that things would end up changing between them. And so, he had acted like the bastard that he was and snubbed her, brushing off her apology like it meant nothing to him and walked away, not even caring when she cried.

Oh God… he made her _cry._

Biting the inside of his cheek until it bled, he clenched his sightless eyes shut, saltine tears escaping the closed lids as he dug his nails into his arms, not caring as the barely-clotted wounds reopened to bleed anew.

"I'm so, so, so sorry…"

-0-

"Kurogane-san, could you please find some trousers for Fai-san perhaps?" the princess asked him as she cut off the thread with her teeth and looked up at him.

"Sure." The ninja grunted as he moved to the other side of the room. Three shelves were built into the wall here, the top two containing random knick-knacks and the bottom one containing three rows of neatly folded clothes. Looking through the pairs of nearly-identical trousers and shirts, all of varying shades of bluish-gray or black, he pulled out a black set of loose slacks. "I haven't put any salve on the burns on his back." He told her as he approached the bed with his find.

"Can you help me turn him over?" she asked quietly as she finished applying the salve to the stitches. Though he could not see any visible changes, Kurogane knew the injuries had healed a little more. "I don't want to rip out his stitches by moving him on my own."

Nodding, he wordlessly set down the trousers before helping the princess move the unconscious mage so that he was on his side. Supporting his body, he watched the girl as she grabbed the washcloth and cleaned each blister with great care before applying the paste and covering it with pieces of gauze. There were many times when she would have to stop and cast a spell, golden light enveloping the wound before dissipating completely.

"I'm disinfecting them so they won't cause complications in the future." She told him without any prompting, "Fai-san's healing abilities should be able to fight off the minor infections with some help from your blood, but I don't want to take any risks."

_When does Kurogane-san need to give him some more?_ The kid asked as he walked up from his position behind the princess and stood beside her.

"A little bit every few hours to speed up the healing process." The girl responded as she moved on to the blonde's legs. "I'll have to ask Violetta-san to set aside some more bandages and salve as well. The dressings will need regular changing, too."She frowned thoughtfully before sending a glance in his direction, "giving so much blood won't be healthy for you, Kurogane-san. You will have to watch your own health as well."

"Any idea how long it'll take for him to wake up?" he asked as she covered the last blister with some gauze. His scowl deepened as exhaustion showed clearly on her face, the dark circles that had developed thanks to the sleepless nights she spent taking care of the kid standing out like bruises, sweat shining on her brow as she cast another spell. Her skin appeared slightly sickly and he had no doubts that if the princess continued pushing herself like the way she had been for the past few weeks, _she _would be the one needing a healer. He'd have to get her to rest as soon as she was done, even if it meant slinging her over one shoulder and dumping her on a mattress in one of the rooms or restraining her with bindings. He would not allow another person to become invalidated under his watch.

"I can't say, to be honest." She shook her head, motioning for the ninja to lay the blond on his back again as she herself picked up the trousers. He helped her dress the blond before picking him up so that she could change the bloodied sheets. He wondered who had brought those, but the thought was pushed away when the princess started to speak again, "I need to perform another scan to assess the current state of internal damage. I might need you to give him some blood after I'm done."

"You're getting some sleep right after that." He told her in a tone that brooked no arguments, even if the girl appeared ready to protest. "Don't think I won't strap you to a bed if I have to." The ninja warned dangerously as he gently set the blond on the fresh sheets.

The purple-haired girl showed up just as Kurogane was unwrapping the piece of shirt from around his wrist. The girl gawked as he sliced through the scabbed-over wound and brought the bleeding cut to the blonde's cracked lips. Massaging his throat to make him swallow, he quirked his brow at the girl, who had the decency to blush at her open staring.

"Sor-sorry."She stuttered, hurriedly looking away, "the Oracle says that you and your friends are free to stay in this room. We can move your friend to Healer Masooma's quarters after you have all rested. You can sleep in the room attached to this one."

"Thank you."The princess bowed towards the girl who returned the gesture somewhat unsurely, probably unused to the custom.

"Is there anything else you would like?" she asked.

"No, thank-"Kurogane's eyes narrowed in disapproval as the girl started to decline. "Bring some food for the girl." He cut in sharply, making the other girl jump while the princess sent him a reproachful look, "Eat something and recover some of your strength." He ordered sternly, meeting her irritated glare squarely. Sighing, the princess nodded and looked at the other girl. "I'd like to eat something, if it's not too much trouble, please." She told her politely.

"I'll see what I can arrange."

"Kid, make sure she eats the food and gets some rest." He said, grabbing the discarded piece of cloth that he had been using as a makeshift bandage earlier. "I'll be a while, so stay with the mage till I get back." Then he was tearing down the hallways until he caught up with the purple-haired girl. He heard the kid call after him but he'd ignored the brunette. There was something he needed to do. "Where is the Oracle staying?"

"I don't know."

"What do you mean you don't know?" he frowned, "you spoke with him, didn't you?"

"He sent me a message." The girl shook her head, "I don't know where he is."

"Right, okay."He muttered distractedly as he took the next turn and started making his way towards the part of the pyramid that served as the barracks, or what was equivalent of the barracks in this world. Striding through the place, he searched for the man he was looking for, finding him lying on a bench with his eyes closed. The man sat up upon hearing him approach though, eyeing the ninja curiously.

"Is everything okay? Is something wrong with your friend?"

"He's fine." He replied hurriedly, "I'm looking for the Oracle. Do you know where he is?"

"The guards told me he went into the catacombs a couple of hours ago."

"Is he still there?" he quirked a brow, casting a wary glance at the entrance to the catacombs. At least, he thought it was the entrance. The slightly rectangular archway was crumbling in places, with numerous cracks running across its entirety, making the ninja doubt its stability. Similar archways were lined up in the entirety of the pyramidal structure, but he remembered the Oracle mentioning something about all the entrances to be false save one on one occasion. And his gut told him that the one he was currently staring at had to be it. He never really understood what went on inside these magicians' heads, what with magic having been integrated into almost every bit and corner of the underground network of caverns. He knew it was smart of them to employ decoys and other various traps to set intruders on the wrong path that would have them going round and round in circles until a guard or two appeared. If an intruder ever got inside the city in the first place, that was. From what he had seen, it was next to impossible to plot the city without the aid of magic and those hunters clearly lacked that. The council members- that he had yet to see as a matter of fact-were a bunch of paranoid old coots though. Every generation added something new to protect the haven of these magical folk, but spelling tunnels to lead the intruder round and round in circles for no reason whatsoever was a bit extreme.

"Don't worry," the captain grinned upon noticing his apprehension, "it's only spelled to appear like it will fall any minute. The structure is actually quite stable, but I would advise against going in there. Only the Guardians can find their way through the labyrinth."

"I'll keep that in mind," he grunted over his shoulder as he disappeared into the darkness. He knew he was right about the entrance because the captain had seen him looking at it and his reassurance had only confirmed his suspicion. Even though he had been told there was nothing but old ruins down there, Kurogane was sharp enough to know that the actual tunnels led to someplace important. He couldn't quite recall what place it was, damn that Oracle for messing with his head before the first time they had decided to break into the Complex to find a cure for the meat bun. The then-Guardian had done something to his head. He had holes in his memories from around that time, though he could recall having given his consent to the Oracle to mess with his head in the first place. Why would he have done that, though? He wasn't sure of the answer and though he knew he might find the answer at the end of the tunnel, he had something more important to do.

-0-

He had no idea how long he stayed there, the rough stone robbing his body of all warmth, leaving him as cold and stiff as a corpse, but when he ran out of tears to shed and his wounds ran out of warm blood to spill- the gouges having scabbed over once again- he slowly sat up.

He knew he could not let things go on the way they were. The spell he had used to get them all away from that dungeon could be traced back. He had been too panicked at that time to think about covering their tracks. The hunters would no doubt come knocking the minute they figured out how to get to the city and only he was to blame for that. Peoples' lives would be in danger soon and he needed a sound mind to think of a way to avert the disaster. His emotions were making him act rashly. He could not let that go on any more. He…

He had to get rid of them before he ended up doing something dangerous.

-0-

Kurogane cursed himself for not having listened to the captain. It would seem that the stupid magic of this place was indeed working against him. He felt like he was going in circles, even though he couldn't really see anything in the dark. Just as he was about to give up and turn back, he felt a tiny flare of _something_ at the edge of his senses. Closing his eyes to better help himself concentrate, he broadened his senses, latching on to the distinct signature. Feeling his way through the darkness, he picked up his pace once he grew used to employing only his sixth sense to navigate.

The power or thing or whatever it was seemed to be growing in concentration, slowly but surely permeating the air and gathering in one place. An uneasy feeling gripped his heart, a sense of foreboding telling him to move faster. He quickened his pace, swallowing rather thickly as the feeling worsened. Something was wrong. He broke out into a run, a heavy, somewhat-suffocating sort of warmth suddenly replacing the damp chill of the underground tunnels, almost making him stumble before the ninja caught himself. A reddish glow assaulted his closed lids the deeper he went into the tunnels as the suffocating warmth began to grow in intensity, making him sweat. Stopping for a little bit, he cautiously opened his eyes, squinting against the sudden brightness that assaulted his vision as his eyes watered. Blood was pounding inside his head, his vision swimming as the unease and sense of foreboding grew to epic proportions. He couldn't quite understand why but he felt the urge to run like hell. The source of light was at the end of the tunnel he was currently in and for the life of him he could not understand why but he felt the urge to get to the end as soon as possible. Something bad was about to happen.

Deciding to worry about why he was feeling that way later, he gave into the foreign demands being injected into his body because he was starting to sense something amiss himself.

"Oi!" he called out the minute he was inside the cavern. A cloaked form was sitting hunched over in the middle of the bright light that was dancing around the person in thin wispy tendrils, pulsing in time like a beating heart, growing thicker and brighter with each pulse. The form shot up at the sound of his voice, startled out of its trancelike state.

Before he could say anything else to the clearly-shocked Oracle, the tendrils of light shot in his direction. A burning sensation ripped through his entire being as soon as the magical energy made contact with his skin. A strangled cry tore from his mouth as he staggered back a couple of steps, an intense ache assaulting his chest. Gasping for breath, he fell to his knees before falling over completely as his body hit the ground with a dull thud. He wanted to scream until his throat bled, the pain almost a dozen times worse than the agony he had experienced when he had cut off his own arm to save the idiot's life in his home-world. The last thing he saw was the blind man racing towards him before the pain grew unbearable for him and he passed out.

_**A/N: Well now, would you look at that? It's another cliffie! *shot***_

_**Any thoughts on what might happen to Kuro now that the spell went awry and he got hit?**_

_**Oh btw, I've put up some line-art for the way I picture the nameless woman in my head. Feel free to check it out at the following link. And lemme know if someone is interested in coloring it.**_

_**http: / / nimmxx. deviantart .com / art / Nameless - Lineart - 284781468**_

_**Until next time. **_

_**~Obsidian**_


	42. Blind

Every part of his being ached, his chest and lungs were on fire, his blood was almost boiling inside his veins while everything else seemed like it had been turned to ice. He couldn't breathe, couldn't feel his limbs, couldn't see anything, even when he opened his eyes to their widest extent. Worst of all, he couldn't hear anything, either. He shot up, or at least attempted to. His body was too weak. Even in the state that he was in, his senses were still surprisingly sharp enough for him to notice that someone was in the same vicinity as him. The last thing he could recall before having passed out was nothing but pain, raw agony consuming him in its entirety, though he could not remember the cause for his pain. He must have been able to move enough to injure whoever it was that was near him because the next moment he smelled blood. The scent made his insides churn for a fraction of a second before his senses dulled out and he was lost in oblivion once more.

-0-

He sat up with a groan, the pounding in his head was slowly subsiding with every passing second.

"Were you trying to get yourself killed?" he heard the Oracle hiss from somewhere to his right. The lighting of the room was dull, but to his sensitive eyes it was almost blindingly white. He turned around to look at the man who stood half-concealed by the shadows in one corner of the room. His mind flashed back to the hunched over figure in the midst of that bright, pulsing light for a brief moment. "You're lucky I found you when I did, or you would have been dead by now."

"What are you on about?" he growled, his throat burning and itching even as he spoke the words. He was parched. What the heck had happened to him? He remembered having the urge to find the Oracle, rushing into the catacombs without pausing to even grab a torch. He had found the man in one of the underground caverns, having sensed him… no. It had been his magic. He had somehow sensed the Oracle's magic down there. Even now, he could feel the agitated ripples of power flowing off of the man.

"The magic in the catacombs is powerful and ancient," the Oracle replied coldly, "It messes with the heads of those who go there. Only the Guardians are safe from the effects of the essence and you foolishly ran down there and almost died in the process."

Kurogane could tell the man was leaving something out of that explanation.

"The essence?" He repeated, ignoring the itch that burnt at the base of his throat, "so that was it…" It had been magic. That stupid power controlling him enough to make him go down there without even realizing he wasn't doing it off his own volition…oh, how he hated being controlled like that. Before he could start cursing about the magic floating around freely in the very air of this underground city, something that the blind man had said stuck out to him. "You said only Guardians can go down there without being harmed. Then what were you doing down there? You're not a Guardian anymore."

"M-Me?" the Oracle stammered for a moment before gaining control of his emotions, "Why the heck had _you_ gone down there? You could have died!" he almost yelled, taking a step towards the sitting ninja, the light throwing his face into sharp relief. It could have been just a trick of the light, but to Kurogane, the normally-composed man seemed almost scared. "The essence is alive, in a sense, and it does not take well to intruders."

"I wouldn't have died," he growled back in irritation, "Your damn _essence_ called me there. It wouldn't have done that just to kill me."

"What?" the other breathed in disbelief.

"You were up to something down there, weren't you?" he said, narrowing his eyes as he finally climbed to his feet, "Something dangerous that you didn't want anyone else knowing about. But that thing, it sensed what you were about to do and called me there to stop you."

"I don't know what you are talking about." He rushed out, hurriedly stepping towards the double doors that led outside. Sometime after he had passed out, Nixon must have brought him back to the room he had been occupying the last time he had stayed in this world. He could recall the fire raging through his veins, funnily enough making him think of the physical embodiment of anger and rage. The pain of claws ripping through his heart, the force of invisible hammers pounding against his skull…

"You think you will lose her once it's all over," Kurogane said as realization dawned upon him. The Oracle's back stiffened at those words just as he paused over the threshold, one foot still inside the room and the other outside. "And you know you won't be able to face that. That's why you've been acting like this towards the witch. But it wasn't enough for you, so you decided to try and get rid of what you feel for her. Lock it all away in order to escape the pain."

"I was doing _nothing."_ The blind man hissed venomously, a cold shiver racing down Kurogane's spine at the frostiness of his tone before the other was gone. It took him a minute to gather his thoughts enough to follow after the fleeing man but by the time he stepped out into the corridor, he was long gone. Pondering over why he knew all those things in the first place, he tried to sort through the foreign emotions that had coursed through his body after he had passed out. There was longing for that witch and pain of the knowledge that she could never belong to him, but that did not even begin to describe the emotions that had assaulted him in those brief moments. Anger, sorrow, rage, guilt, hatred… pretty much almost every negative emotion in the book had assaulted him back there. He felt a light flicker of magic somewhere close by, distracting him from his thoughts and almost subconscious pursuit of the blind man.

_Kurogane-san!_ Syaoran called out, relief evidently showing up on his face as the spirit raced towards him. _I'm so glad I found you. Sakura-hime sent me to look for you over an hour ago. You were gone for so long and we were so worried and-_

"Kid," he interrupted the apparition's rambling, "what is it?"

_It's Fai-san,_ the boy said, biting his lip in a manner that almost reminded him of the princess. Since when did the kid start picking up on the girl's habits? _He woke up._

Any lingering thoughts he had about going after the Oracle flew out of his head upon hearing that, as he followed the boy back to the room where they had decided on keeping the blond. The sight that met his eyes when he entered the room had not been what expected to see, though.

The mage was lying still on the bed, in the same position he had been when he had left, though there was quite a lot of blood staining the bandages wrapped around his torso. The previously-filled basin of water was in pieces on the floor, the spilt water almost having dried up by now. The princess was hunched over the blond, near his head, fresh blood staining her clothes and this time, he could tell not all of it belonged to the mage. Wisp-like tendrils of magic flowed through the air around the princess, a soft mix of pink and gold enveloping her form even after the girl straightened up and turned around to face him. Looking close, he could almost detect the hint of a pale blue enveloping the magician's body. He frowned in confusion, wondering what was wrong with his vision, before he took a second look at the princess's face. There, on the right side of her face, starting from just below her eye till the end of her chin, were three slashes, almost like claws had swiped at her face. Similar cuts ran down the length of her arms and through parts of her torn clothes, he could see the marks on her stomach.

The blood had clotted by now, parts of the golden glow concentrating on each and every wounded site, accelerating the healing process a little.

"Kurogane-san."The girl's soft voice made him look back at her face. The slashes looked like they would leave scars.

"I was with the Oracle." He replied gruffly, eyeing the wounds on her body and silently prompting the girl to provide an explanation on why she was hurt in that manner. She had been just fine when he had left.

"Fai-san woke up an hour ago." She replied, hurriedly looking away so that the wounded side of her face was concealed from his line of sight. "Syaoran-san was with him at the time. He says Fai-san couldn't really hear him when he called his name, nor could he see him. He came to wake me up but by the time I got here, Fai-san was having a panic attack. I tried to calm him down but he… attacked me. He didn't know it was me, though," she added hurriedly, "I mean, how could he have known he was safe when he couldn't see or hear anything? I asked Syaoran-san to go find you. Fai-san showed no sign of calming down, he had his claws out but they were not big enough to do much harm. His vampire half must have been too exhausted to keep it going for long, so I cast a spell to put him back to sleep."

"Are you okay?"he asked the princess, concern clearly coloring his tone as he took a step towards her.

"I-I'm fine."Her voice cracked a little but he chose not to comment on that. "It's not like he knew he was hurting me." Kurogane knew it wasn't just the mage that she referring to then. "I don't think the damage is permanent. To Fai-san's vision and hearing, I mean. But it would be best to keep Fai-san sedated until the damage to his eyes is repaired, at the very least. He ripped out his stitches, so he'll need more blood than I thought and I'm worried that that would affect your own health if we were try to speed up his recovery time. I will have to check with Masooma-san and see if they have anything to help you with that."

The ninja noticed that the girl had almost made it a habit. Rambling off explanations the way she was, just to distract herself from having to face reality for a little while. Or maybe it was her way of dealing with everything. Kurogane watched as a tendril of gold mixed with the pink and snaked down her arm before seeping into the wounds there. "I don't think she knows about the mage being a vampire." He muttered distractedly, feeling unease as he realized that it wasn't just the two of them that he could sense with those colors. Behind him, even though he could not see it, he could almost imagine the dark green surrounding the kid.

"She doesn't?" Sakura looked up in surprise and the pink glow shifted a little in color, "Why not?"

"No idea," he grunted, sensing a shade of violet walking down the hallways on the lower level. "Ask the mage when he wakes up." Thinking back to the distinct shade of grey that had been guiding him to the Oracle in the catacombs, he tried to locate the blind man but he must have been outside his range, for he found him nowhere. He'd have to track down that idiot later on. Something told him the Oracle would not be attempting that particular spell again in the near future, but it was best to confront him about what was going on in his head before he ended up hurting more than just himself. It was just his luck to end up being surrounded by idiots hell-bent on self destruction.

-0-

Syaoran woke up from what probably had to be one of the most restful sleeps he could remember, despite being as injured as he was, he felt refreshed and wired, ready to face a new day. The fact that he had had no dreams whatsoever was quite a major factor for this newfound restfulness. Carefully pushing his body into a sitting position, he cautiously looked around the room only to note that he was thankfully alone. Taking the time to actually observe his surroundings, Syaoran noticed that unlike the first time when he had woken up here and thought the place to be a replica of those dungeons, it was actually a whole lot nicer. The walls, though made out of blocks of stones were a light sandy brown and the ceiling had some sort of hieroglyphic mural built into it. He also took note of several small ringlets of runes that were carved into some of the stone blocks, the etchings a startling white in contrast to the yellowness of the stones.

The bed he was occupying was an old wooden thing with a headboard that creaked a little when he pushed his back against it and the quilt that was covering the lower half of his body smelt a little like must and mildew, like it had not been aired out in ages. The air itself held a bit of that damp quality to itself that you would notice only in underground caverns and such. His bed was pushed up against the wall at one side of the room with two doors and a small window built into the walls that were to his right and at the opposing end of the foot of his bed. The window opened up to a view that made him double take, he had been quite sure there had been no open grassy fields filled with white lilies when he was being brought back to the room by that witch. The sun shined rather pleasantly right beyond the window with a clear blue sky. The sight it presented contrasted sharply with the stale smell that reached his nose confusing him greatly as to where he was. Wishing that he could somehow get close enough to take a better look at the view outside, his gaze fell on the tiny circular runes scratched into the stones surrounding the window and though he had never seen a display like this before, he figured it had to be some sort of magical illusion. There was a wooden cabinet pushed up against the wall in between the space of the two doorways, a simple runic carving on the panel that concealed its content from view. He wondered if perhaps the carvings were somehow magical in nature but the thought did not last long enough inside his head for him to form a solid opinion on it. . The wheelchair that Masooma had used to take him around the city was currently folded and leaning against the wall that was behind him a little ways away from the bedside table that was placed near the headboard, to the right side of the bed, seeing as the left side was pretty much pushed against the wall. The room was quite sparse apart from that.

"You're awake," Masooma announced, her voice carrying none of the tiredness that showed on her face as she entered the room through the doorway that was on the right of the cabinet, farther away from his bed. A delicious aroma wafted right in with her, masking the musky smell of the air with its salty goodness and making his stomach churn in hunger. A loud rumble echoed in the silence that followed her words causing the witch to laugh a little and making him lower his head with an embarrassed blush. The laugh, Syaoran noticed distantly, had a pretty lilt to it, painfully reminding him of the way _she_ used to laugh before things had gone to hell for him. "And from the sounds of it, quite hungry to boot. It's a good thing I brought you some broth." She smiled kindly at him as the mattress dipped under her weight when she took seat on the bed near the place where his knees were supposed to be. "Eat up," she ordered him not unkindly as she pushed a bowl filled with some sort of semi-thick brown liquid with tiny chunks of white floating around in it. "I need to check the state of your wounds once you're done eating."

He looked at the bowl in his hands with poorly masked suspicion for a little while before the witch heaved a sigh, picking up the spoon from the tray and filling it with some of the liquid. Bringing it to her own lips she spoke, "I didn't poison it, I swear." There was a teasing glint to her gaze as she placed the spoon back in the bowl and offered him a smile. Syaoran waited for almost a minute, waiting to see if she would drop dead where she sat before nodding slightly and taking hold of the spoon himself. The liquid felt a little salty and somewhat tangy in his mouth but it wasn't unpleasant. He was hurriedly filling up another spoon and swallowing it without caring if the liquid scalded his mouth. He hadn't realized how hungry he truly was.

"Whoa, slow down," Masooma said in mock alarm. His eyes watered as the liquid burnt his throat a little while going down but he ignored her request, quickly bringing another spoonful of the broth to his lips. She put her hand on his arm, making him look up from the delicious meal. "I'm not going to snatch it away from you." She assured him in a gentle tone, "Take your time with it or you'll make yourself sick."

He gave her a fraction of a nod, returning his watery gaze to the bowl in his lap that he was supporting with one hand. It had felt heavy when she had handed it to him though he doubted that was the case in reality. He was weak. Physically speaking that was. His muscles did not have the strength they once used to and so now, even a wood carved bowl felt heavier to lift than boulders. His fingers absently traced the carvings on the outer edges of the bowl as he chewed the white chunks before swallowing. Bringing the spoon to his lips once more, he looked at the woman sitting beside him through his lashes. She was watching him eat with a small smile on her face, though he could catch flashes of the pain in her eyes that he'd witnessed right after her row with the Oracle. They had not said much at that time but he had still picked up on a few things and he figured then to be as good a time as any to question her about it.

"Who was that friend of yours?" he started, finally raising his head to look her in the eye. She flinched a little, hurriedly looking away.

"His name is Nixon, he's…" she trailed off clearly seeming to debate on what exactly to tell him.

"The Oracle, I know." He said, "he told me before you woke up. I meant that other person. The one he stopped you from seeing. Who is he?"

"He's…" he waited patiently, "the person I love the most."

"What happened to him?"

"Do you remember what I showed you earlier, in sun-caves I mean?" she asked, finally turning back to look at him, her eyes searching his face for an answer. She must have gotten it because she continued without even waiting for his response. "He and another friend of mine went to rescue you from that place. They managed to get you out of there but he got caught in the process. They did to him what they did to you."

"Do you hate me?" he asked, dropping his gaze back to the bowl in his lap, watching the white chunks float around in the murky liquid, distorting the reflection of his gaunt face with sunken eyes and hollowed cheeks. Looking at his arms, he could see the way his skin clung to the bones, veins pushing through, contrasting in a startling manner against overall ghostly paleness of his flesh. If they had done to that person what they had done to him, surely she must hate him for it. So why was she being so nice to him?

"No." her fingers felt warm against his chilled arm as she slowly moved her hand to take hold of his, "I don't hate you nor do I blame you for it. You are just as much a victim as everyone else. Why would I hate you for that?"

"But your precious person was hurt because of me." He pointed out, refusing to believe her words. There was no such thing as kindness and forgiveness in this world. If Sakura, one of the most forgiving and kind people he had ever known could have such a drastic change in her personality…

"He was hurt because the bastards that had him don't have a shred of humanity in them." She replied firmly, "don't blame yourself for something that is beyond your control. Now eat up before it gets cold."

"I'm not hungry anymore," he said, pushing the half full bowl away from him. His hands trembled a little as he did so but he paid it no mind. He had lost his appetite. After having been told for so long by _them_ that everything that had ever gone wrong was his fault, he had trouble believing this witch even when all she did was smile at him and act kind. Kindness could easily be faked. It wouldn't be long before her anger got the best of her and she changed her colors and started blaming him for everything too. It was all just a matter of time before his brief respite was over and his world would be consumed by pain once again.

_**A/N: The first paragraph was Fai's POV if anyone was confused. Don't worry though, he won't be blind and deaf forever. Someone asked me how many more chapters were there left a while back and I had answered with 'approximately ten, give or take a few' now, I'm not so sure. It might be more than that though I cant give a definitive number since every time I try to reign it in and wind it down towards the ending, the bunnies take over and go wild. *sighs* ah well…**_

_**Since I feel like the break gets too long between the updates, I think I should tell you guys that less time has passed in the story world than it feels like in reality. *sweatdrops* It seemed like a couple of days had already passed since Fai's rescue when I read this chapter earlier but truth be told, it's only been around sixteen hours or so. During which time, he woke up and then had to be put under by Sakura again. Kurogane got hit by Nixon's spell, passed out for a few hours and then woke up again. Syaoran was brought back to his room, slept for a while and now he's awake again… **_

_**Before you ask, yes, Sakura might end up having scars from those injuries, Kurogane can sense auras in a manner similar to Nixon's (the essence **_**is**_** alive in a way and it did that to assist Kuro in finding Nixon in time) . I don't think I'm leaving anything out in the explanations but if I am, ask away. ;) I hope you enjoyed the update. I'll put up the beta'd version of this chapter as soon as the awesome 'talkstoangels77' gets back to me with the proofread chapter. **_

_**Next time, Tsubasa discovers one of the mortifying downsides to being paralyzed and has a heart to heart with Masooma.**_

_**~Obsidian**_


	43. Battered Pride

_**A/N: It's been a crazy, crazy **_**absolutely positively**_** crazy week. Right now I'm running on caffeine and no sleep and from the looks of it, it will be another eleven hours or so before I can sleep properly… I've got my final year project mid defense (God that's such a mouthful) at 3 pm and I've been up all night working on the stupid thing and I still have a loooooooong way to go. *sighs* It's at times like these that I wish I wasn't such a procrastinator. I decided it was time to take a little break before returning to work again so I figured why not update Broken again. I had the chapter with me for a while now.**_

_**I did a little research on how to take care of paralyzed people and what sort of problems they face and how the problem affects them emotionally. This chapter basically sheds light on some of those problems. **_

_**Enjoy the update while I return to the horrendous task of turning my brain to mush. Wish me luck by the way. ;)**_

"Are you sure?" A frown settled on her features as she looked at him skeptically, but at his nod, she picked up the bowl and utensil and proceeded to place them on the side table before heading over to the cabinet. Her fingers slid across the patterns traced there and Syaoran detected a faint glow coming from the wooden panel before it opened with a small click.

Syaoran watched her rummage about inside it for a little while before his attention was drawn by a foul smell and he dropped his gaze to his lap in mortification. Embarrassment did not even begin to describe what he felt at the moment as he realized what had just happened. He had not had any access to a proper toilet while he was being kept in the dungeons, so obviously he had to relieve himself in one corner of the tiny cell, adding to the filth and the stench of his prison, but at least he had never _soiled_ himself. But now…

"Oh dear," he could not even bring himself to look at the healer standing at his bedside as he clenched his jaw and screwed his eyes to keep himself from crying in shame. When had he become so pathetic? "I think we might have to give you a bath sooner rather than later." He did not reply to that. After all, what was there to say? He was _nineteen_ years old and he had just wet the bed! "Hey," he felt her move closer to him, felt the mattress tip under her weight, felt her fingers take hold of his chin and felt her move his face in her direction, "look at me, Syaoran."

He did no such thing and after almost an eternity of feeling her expectant eyes on his face, he heard her sigh and drop her hand. "I'm going to sound like a bitch when I say this, but you need to hear it." She was holding his bony hands in her warm fingers now, "I'm not one to sugarcoat my words and I'm sure you'll appreciate knowing the truth a lot more than being fed false hopes... Just because you're out of _that_ place," she was rubbing her thumb against his knuckles in an almost-distracting manner, though his heart still clenched painfully in the face of his pathetic helplessness, "it's not going to get any easier in the blink of an eye, but it _will_ get better."

"I don't think it will." He was surprised to hear his voice come out so strangled and defeated. Her thumb stilled on the ridge between his second and third knuckle."Things just keep on getting worse."

"They won't always stay this way." She said, giving his fingers a gentle squeeze.

"Have you taken a _look_ at me?" he grit out bitterly, tears of frustration and anger prickling his eyes as he finally opened them to glare at her, "_Look_ at me! Look at how pathetic, how _helpless_ they've made me! I can't even… I can't even…"

"Control your bladder?" she offered, making him cringe in revulsion as he drew his hand from her. She was right, after all. _They _had robbed him of even that last shred of his dignity. "Your body is paralyzed from waist below, Syaoran." She said softly, once again catching hold of his hand and pressing it in her comfortingly warm fingers, "I know you know that already, but this," she gestured at the soiled bed with her head, "is a result of that paralysis which resulted from injury to your spinal cord. The nerves that connected the lower portion of your body to your brain were damaged because of that. This does _not_ make you pathetic, far from it actually, so don't you dare believe that even for a second."

"Just look at me…" he repeated weakly.

"I am," Masooma replied firmly, "and all I can see is a young man who's been through hell. Know what else I see?" She paused until his curiosity got the better of him. He did not know what it was, but whatever it was, he wanted to know what she could see in him. He was weak and pitiful, a broken mess. What was it that _she_ could see in him? At his hesitant nod, her smile widened a fraction of an inch, "I see someone worthwhile." The conversation seemed over as she dropped his hand and moved to retrieve the wheelchair. "Now how about that bath, hmm?" she asked him, even as she pulled back the quilt and carefully lifted his body off the bed and into the chair. He clenched his hands into fists of frustration, but she seemed to ignore his actions if she saw them, "I was actually trying to arrange something to prevent what just happened before I brought you lunch."

"You were?" He looked up in surprise. Had she known he'd end up wetting his bed like that eventually?

"Of course. I'm a healer, it's my job to know how an injury affects your body. I asked one of my assistants to bring it here when they've arranged it," She told him as she wheeled him over to the door on the left, stopping next to an ancient-looking stone basin covered in heavy carvings along its rim. It was big enough to hold an adult and still have room to spare and Syaoran decided that it must be a bathtub. There seemed to be a small ventilation shaft in the roof that had yet another intricate mural built into it. There were no windows to provide natural light in the room, but several glowing orbs hung in the air to make up for the lack of windows. He watched her bend next to the stone basin as her fingers traced over a set of carvings and to his amazement the entire stone structure glowed softly before producing gurgling sounds as spirals of steam began to waft up from inside it. "Since I don't want you to drown while bathing, I'm afraid I'm going to have to stick around in here," she told him with a mischievous wink. "I can help you out of your clothes if you want." She added with a wide grin, before finally laughing at the alarm that showed up on his face. "Oh relax, Syaoran. I'm not going to _do_ anything to you, I swear. I've already seen it, so no need to be shy now." At his embarrassed blush she laughed harder, clutching her sides as she doubled over. "Sorry, sorry, I think I'll shut up now." She sobered up, "I'll just go and get you some fresh clothes, alright?"

"Oh, by the way," she stopped by the doorway, "I was serious about not wanting you to drown, so don't move from that spot until I get back…Unless you want me to give you CPR." She waggled her brows in a mockingly suggestive manner, causing the brunette to finally laugh a little at the sheer silliness of it all, though the embarrassed blush remained on his face.

"Just go, please?" he muttered weakly as he started unbuttoning his shirt.

"You're still as cute as ever when you blush, Syaoran." And with one parting wave she was gone through the door. Pulling the shirt off, he winced a little at the pain the action seemed to cause. He looked down, fingers slowly tracing down his chest as he undid the bandages wrapped around his torso. He felt each bump of his protruding ribs in morbid fascination until he finally reached the hollow of his sunken stomach. In some places, half healed scars and scabs marred his pale flesh, ugly and twisted. Phantom pains shot through his body as he traced each and every mark, his mind recalling with great detail how he had obtained each and every wound. His gaze strayed to the stone basin that was slowly getting filled with bubbling water. Pushing the wheels of the chair he sat on, he moved closer, stopping only when it collided with the basin and nearly toppled over. Leaning over the top, he looked at the gurgling water, watching the almost hypnotic dance of the bubbles beneath its frothy surface. In a dreamlike state he reached over and pushed his hand into the churning water, feeling the temperature to be surprisingly comfortable despite its appearance. Withdrawing his hands, he struggled to lift his body out of the chair with trembling arms, before his hand slipped and he slammed back into the chair, his chest heaving with the effort. Not giving up, he tried again, wondering just how much force would he need to heave himself over the basin and into the water. He would drown, she had told him. Would that really be so bad? He was useless, helpless and pathetic. Left at the mercy of a witch who _claimed_ to be his friend, but was someone he couldn't recall ever having met before. He could feel his arms beginning to give out as the trembling worsened, but he grit his teeth in determination before giving one final push, momentarily standing on his feet before his legs buckled and he tumbled into the water, face first.

His lungs burnt with the lack of oxygen as he inhaled a mouthful of water, choking and sputtering, helplessly flailing about under the water, the upper half of his body leaning over the edge of the tub while the paralyzed half hung uselessly on the outside. Just as it all became too much and he felt like his head would explode from the pressure, he was pulled out of the water and dumped on the cold, cold floor.

"What the fucking _hell_ do you think you are doing?" Masooma shrieked even as he coughed up water, gasping for air. "Do you want to die so badly that you decided to end your life like a coward? You don't give a damn about the sacrifices others have made for you to be alive today, do you?" Her fingers were digging painfully into the bones of his shoulders as she drew him to face her. He cringed at her touch, trying to draw away from her as flashes of Sakura's cold, narrowed eyes as she hurt him overlapped with Masooma's features.

"N-No…" he whimpered, trying to push her away but the witch seemed willing to have none of it as she jerked him forward rather violently.

"Do you? If death is all you care about, just say the word and I'll fucking snap your neck for you right now," She hissed, drawing another whimper from him, "Who cares if someone else had to go through months of torture just so you could be safe, huh? Who cares if there are people left behind who would cry over the fact that you're gone so long as _you_ don't have to fucking face any of it? Right? Who fucking cares about any of that? …You were supposed to be someone worthwhile." She spat, letting go of his shoulders and turning her back to him just as he collapsed on the cold floor, "Turns out you are nothing more than a _coward_."

He felt his anger flare at that. He was _not_ a coward. And what gave her the right to judge him? What did she know about the hell he had gone through?

"What would you know about what they did to me?" he spat weakly, "All you have is what you saw in my memories."

She tensed at his words, her fists clenching at her sides so hard he saw her knuckles turn white from the pressure. He was sure she was on the verge of turning around and strangling him with her bare hands. "You're right." Her voice was surprisingly calm and in control when she spoke, though he could tell it was requiring a lot of effort on her part to stay that way. "What would I know about any of it? I have no right to judge you for wanting to put an end to this misery, right? Do you want me to do it?" She was crouching next to him once again, her amber eyes boring into his own with an intensity that almost scared him, "do you want me to kill you?"

Did he truly want her to do that? It would be his chance to finally be free of it all. And he had no doubt about it that the woman would go through with her promise if he gave his assent. He could see the resolve in her gaze.

"Tell me what you want me to do, Syaoran. Is living really so bad?" her voice was barely above a whisper, "Is it really so hard that you don't think you have the strength to get over what was done to you?"

The silence between them seemed to stretch out forever. Moving away from him a little, she sat on the floor with her legs folded beneath her. Then, to Syaoran's alarm, she did something completely unexpected. She began to peel off the light shirt she wore, placing it beside her calmly once she had pulled it off her head. She wore a black chemise underneath, though it ended right below her ribcage, leaving her lower abdomen bare to his gaze. A motley group of old scars accumulated right below her navel, thick and shiny and gruesomely fascinating to look at.

"I can't have children," she admitted solemnly all of a sudden, her fingers stopping just short of brushing markers of what had to have been a horrendous injury. "_He_ loves kids, you know, but that's the one thing I won't be able to give him anymore. And you know whose fault that is?"

Syaoran tried to tear his gaze away from her but there was something about her that kept it glued in place. He swallowed thickly, not really sure of whether he wanted to know what her next words would be.

"I've been through the same hell you have, Syaoran. I was stupid enough to let myself get captured by those bastards. I was beaten, burnt and tortured but I kept on fighting back. They decided that _this_ was best way to break me. By the time Nixon found me, it was already too late. When he first brought me back here, the thought of death, that… blissful ignorance, that calm detachment… it all sounded so wonderful." Her tone took a slightly wistful edge, "There were times when I wanted to crawl into a hole and be forgotten by the world entirely until I died… and yet, I'm still here. In the time that I had known you before you were captured, you appeared to be a person that was far stronger than I ever was. Why is it then, that I still hold on to this life while you try again and again to let go?" Scooting closer, she drew him into a hug. Her soft hair brushed his damp skin and made him shudder in her arms. He tried to push away, his hands subconsciously pressing against her scarred stomach and he felt her stiffen at his touch.

"Did they ever…" he trailed off, wondering if something more than just beating had taken place when she had gotten those scars.

"Did they ever rape me?" She murmured the words so softly it took him a moment to realize she had spoken at all. It was such a personal question. Did he even have any right to question her about it? Apparently she thought he did, for she spoke up again. "Yes... It happened so many times that I can't even recall the exact number anymore… Do you still want it, Syaoran?"

"What?"

"To die." She asked unflinchingly, pulling away to look him in the eye, "Do you still want to die?"

He thought about her words, about her loved one, about how he had suffered for his sake, about how she had suffered too, about his own helplessness and infirmity, about his shame and frustration. He thought about everything.

"… No."

"I'm happy to hear that," she smiled, "Don't ever try to do something like that again, understand?" She added sternly, "Last time you tried to end your life, you ended up paralyzing half your body."

"That happened because I…" he trailed off, horror sinking its claws into the pit of his stomach.

"Jumped out of the window, yes." She said as she climbed to her feet and pulled the wheelchair back from where it had toppled over. "It's a good thing I came in when I did, I'm quite sure you wouldn't have appreciated losing your hearing next."

"…Thank you."He muttered softly as she picked him up and set him at the edge of the basin. Picking up a towel, she covered him up before helping him out of the loose trousers and lowering his body into the warm water. She handed him the soap and a scrubbing cloth before moving away and sitting down on the floor with her back to him.

"Don't worry about it." She shook her head, "Let me know when you're done washing, okay?"

Syaoran was grateful for the gesture. She'd probably never leave him on his own after the stunt he had just tried to pull, but at least she let him have some semblance of privacy.

"I was thinking, once we're done here," she spoke after a while, just as Syaoran started scrubbing his arms, "I could show you some more memories of yours if you're up to it later on."

"Okay."

"Honestly speaking, mind-magic is not my forte," she admitted, "I'm more of an offensive magic user who just happens to be a healer as well. All witches were required to learn healing magic where I come from. It's more or less a necessity for one to be able to learn magic at all."

"You're not from around here?" He asked, the water sloshing as he rubbed the soap on his chest, taking care not to pull at any of the scabs.

"No, I'm a dimensional traveler that got stuck here in Magihidusi."

"Magihidusi?" He asked, wondering why the word sounded so familiar-yet-not at the same time. He had thought he was still in Clow.

"The last magical stronghold in this world, it's called Magihidusi." She replied softly, "The place where you were stuck, it's called Complex. That's located in the heart of the hunter's city, Metropolis."

"It all… sounds so familiar, yet I can't recall ever having been here before." He frowned, feeling the distant pangs of an oncoming headache but he pushed himself a little further, trying to remember why he had forgotten it all in the first place. "You say you know me, the Oracle says the same. The hunters… they sound familiar, but…" he grunted as the pain magnified tenfold, his vision going white as a loud ringing overtook everything else in the world.

"Don't push yourself." Masooma warned immediately, her hand softly gripping his own as the sound of her voice cut through the pain and it slowly ebbed away, though she still did not turn around to look at him. "It will come to you as we go through your memories. They did something to block some parts out. I'm not skilled enough to just pluck the specific memories out of your head for your viewing, so we might have to go through a week worth's of them before you start to remember it on your own."

Panting slightly, he nodded.

"Why won't you tell me the truth?" He asked softly, slowly tracking the path of a soap bubble in the water before it popped.

"If I told you your friends were not the ones that did this to you, what would you say?"

"I'd say you were lying." He replied without missing a beat.

"That's why," she murmured in response, "even if I told you the truth, you wouldn't believe me."

"Because it's not the truth."

"I don't expect you to believe me right away, Syaoran. That would be stupid." Here she stopped for a moment, as though waiting for him to deny it, "There are holes in your memories, and you've noticed that as well. You don't trust _them_, you don't trust me, and I'm pretty sure the only reason you've allowed me to do anything for you so far is because you want answers. You don't believe a word of what I've told you, you think I'm trying to gain your trust," Syaoran's heart sank at hearing those words. Was this it? Was she going to admit it? "And that then, when you're at your most vulnerable, I'll do just what you think your friends did to you and destroy you."

He was sorely tempted to ask her 'are you?' daring her to lie to him, but he suppressed the urge to do so. It would not do well to confirm her suspicions. Instead, he busied himself with using the scrub to wipe to soap suds off his body.

"I've been trying my best to show you that I mean you no harm." She finally turned back to face him, "promises of trust mean little to you, but please don't write me off as your enemy just yet. Give me a chance to help you regain your memories. I'll leave you alone after that if you want."

He could not make sense of why she was trying so hard to gain his trust when she could just as easily beat him into submission. He schooled his expression into one of composed blankness, even though he had always worn his emotions on his sleeve. The witch's eyes were silently pleading for him to believe her words, to give her his trust… there was a touch of desperation to her gaze, a sense of urgency in the way she looked at him, as though her whole world might fall apart if he refused her request. No matter how good a pretender one might be, hers was a look that could not be faked. He lowered his head a fraction of an inch and she blinked, collapsing rather ungracefully on her back with an exhausted sigh.

_**A/N: So, anyone wants to try and take a guess on what the solution to Syaoran's little problem might be? **_


	44. Brought to Light

Kurogane had told him where he would be able to find the healer who had been put in charge of looking after his son and now Syaoran found himself following the mental map provided by the ninja. It had been an extremely long and emotionally exhausting day, even though he himself had done nothing at all… being a spirit, there wasn't much he could have done to help anyways. After a few hours of looking after the magically-put-under magician, the ninja had forced Sakura to go and rest again since she was the one doing all the work. Kurogane had no magic whatsoever, and Syaoran had the problem of being… well, himself without a body. The red-eyed man had promised to look after Fai, literally carrying the exhausted princess over one shoulder and dumping her on the simple wooden cot before turning his attention to the brunette.

"Only me and the princess can't see the kid," he had said. "You should go and see how he's doing."

As he made his way through the narrow corridors of the lower level of the pyramid and started climbing the stairs that led to the second level of the giant structure, Syaoran paused at a tall-yet-narrow window. Delicate floral carvings adorned the rough sandy stones, reminding him of some of the temples he had visited with Fujitaka in his youth in his first life. He pretended to trace a lotus, closing his eyes and imagining the rough texture of the stone for a little while. Opening his eyes, he was somewhat disappointed to note that his fingers were halfway embedded in the rock. Turning away, he wrapped his arms around himself as a sudden chill ran down the length of his spine. Shuddering slightly at the not-quite unpleasant feeling, he resumed his climb, even though Syaoran wanted nothing more than to curl up in a corner, fall asleep and not wake up until this nightmare was over. It took a surprising amount of courage to bring himself to stand outside the door he suspected led to the healer's room.

_Masooma-san, are you there?_ he called in a loud enough voice that she would hear were she awake. It was well into the night and there was a big chance that she was asleep, but he had come all this way. He did not want to go away without seeing his son. _Masooma-san?_ he called again when he received no response from the other side. Throwing caution to the wind, he stuck his head through the wooden panel. The room appeared empty, though the bed-sheets were ruffled and thrown back as though the witch had left in a hurry. Withdrawing his head to cast one glance around the corridor, he stepped through, carefully scanning the room for any signs of where the healer could have gone. He found none.

The room was slightly messy but not overly so, just enough that it gave it a lived-in feel. A dusty brown cloak was thrown carelessly over the back of a chair, a sheaf of papers scattered on top of the desk that was pushed against the wall. A simple mirror with a wooden frame-that had floral patterns like the ones surrounding the windows carved into it- leaned against the wall on the right side of the table. A single wooden jewelry box and a hairbrush placed before the mirror let Syaoran know of the extent that the witch seemed to pay attention to her appearance and such. Shelves were built into the wall, much in the same manner as they had been in the Oracle's room, the top two shelves containing neatly arranged tomes while the lower shelf held some folded clothes. Pale green curtains hung before a window near the bed and a small, rather threadbare rug in shades of green and brown covered the floor, adding some color to the otherwise-sparsely-decorated room. Some cushions were placed in one corner, with a wooden shelf filled with nothing but books placed next to them. A low table with more papers, some pens and an open book that lay face down were placed before the cushions.

Forcing him to turn his focus away from the room's decorations, Syaoran noticed a door leading out of the room, opposite to the one he had entered through. Casting a glance over his shoulder to confirm that no one had come in behind him while he wasn't paying attention, Syaoranphased through the door, entering a short corridor with narrow windows that let him see the sprawling city outside. They, too, had pale green curtains hanging before them, although the curtains were pulled back here, letting fresh air pass through the corridor, not that Syaoran could feel it. Some of the sand colored stone blocks that had been used to build the entire pyramidical structure were covered in carvings that, unlike the previous floral patterns he had witnessed incorporated into the structure almost everywhere, were actually designs that involved runes.

_Masooma-san? _he called once again, giving the healer half a minute to respond, but when he received no reply, Syaoran walked in through the closed door. The lighting in the room was dulled to a soft glow, but it was enough for the brunette to make out the sleeping form under the patchwork quilt. Casting a quick glance around the room, Syaoran silently approached the bed. The healer was apparently not there. Tsubasa was asleep on his right side, one hand resting under his head while the other was clenched around the sheets. His expression appeared peaceful in his sleep and Syaoran hoped his son was having pleasant dreams. He noticed a clear bag hanging from a low stand next to the bed-almost on ground level, with a thin plastic tube attached to its top that disappeared under the sheets. He wondered about what purpose it might serve before his attention was drawn back to his son. He looked somewhat better than the last time Syaoran had seen him, back in that room in Clow where he had been forcefully sent away by the princess, but the brunette's heart still clenched at the sight before him.

_I'm sorry, son,_ he muttered softly, kneeling on the ground next to Tsubasa, _I'm sorry I failed to be there for you when you needed me the most, but…You and I, neither of us is a stranger to the terrible prices that one sometimes has to pay to help someone they care about… I'm sure you can't hear me right now, but, I still hope you can understand that leaving you alone wasn't my choice! If… if I had to make it…_ he trailed off, hands clenching into fists as he gritted his teeth in frustration. He could not say he would have changed it, because that would have been a lie. Fai had needed him just as much as Tsubasa, if not more.

"You wouldn't have known what to choose." A feminine voice spoke from somewhere behind him and made him jump in surprise.

_You're the healer in charge of looking after him,_ he blurted out the minute he laid eyes on the amber-eyed woman.

"That's me." She nodded, stepping into the room with a few rolls of gauze and a couple of jars loaded in her arms, "You're his father, right?"

_Yes._ He replied as the woman smiled at him politely.

"I'm sorry, we haven't been properly introduced. Healer Masooma at your service. I'd curtsy, but my hands are kinda full." She gave him a sheepish grin as she moved towards the cabinet placed next to the door.

-0-

_Li Syaoran,_ Masooma heard the spirit respond just as she started putting away the medical supplies. _How is he doing?_

"Well, to be completely honest with you, Li," she replied, sliding the cabinet shut and turning around to face him, "he's not doing so great."

_What do you mean?_ he questioned sharply. Suspicion danced across his face, much in a manner similar to his son's.

"He tried to drown himself in the bath today." She said softly.

_What?_ the brunette's eyes widened to almost comic proportions as he shot up, all color draining from his face as he stared at her.

"He's depressed, confused and suicidal." She elaborated in the same quiet manner, "Not a great combination if you ask me."

_Aren't you supposed to be _helping_ him? _His voice showed just a hint of anger as he took a step towards her.

"I am." Masooma replied earnestly, "You just asked me about how he was doing."

_How exactly is him trying to commit suicide helping him?_ he growled taking another step towards her.

"He saw Kurogane and Sakura before they left to get Fai," her gaze drifted to the sleeping face of the brunette that looked so much like his father, only a few years younger, "he thinks this is all a big ploy to get him to lower his guard and that the only way to get free of it all is to die."

_He would never…_ he trailed off, a touch of uncertainty in his tone as he too looked at his son, fear clearly dancing across his features.

"Are you sure about that, Li?" she quirked her brow challengingly.

… _What about his health physically_? he asked as he looked back at her with an almost desperate sort of hopefulness, _Is he too weak to walk around? I saw you moving him in a wheelchair earlier._

"He's paralyzed from the waist down."

_Waistdow-what?_ he repeated in a choked laugh, one that clearly showed he didn't believe her.

"He is paralyzed from waist below." She repeated, hating the way his expression crumbled upon hearing her words, "I'm not sure about the details, but after Sakura sent you here, Syaoran jumped off the tower he was being kept in. The fall injured his spine and now he can't move his lower body."

_Why didn't they try to stop him?_ he said angrily as she stepped past him to approach the sleeping brunette.

"It's rather hard to get through to someone who's had everything ripped away from them," she murmured, her fingers softly brushing out his now-cut hair out of his eyes. "Won't you agree?"

His only response was a deep intake of breath. Looking over her shoulder, Masooma saw that he had closed his eyes, in an attempt to gain some control over his emotions, no doubt.

"I'm trying my best to help him, Li, but-"

_Call me Syaoran,_ he cut in.

"Okay… it'll get rather confusing to refer to you both by the same name, though…"

_Then call him Tsubasa._ He answered steadily, approaching his son's bedside once again. She watched as he reached out to touch him but stopped short of actually making contact with Tsubasa's skin. _That's his name after all._

"His true name, huh?" she felt a small smile tug at the corners of her lips, "why did you tell me that?"

_You _are_ his healer_. It showed just how much faith the spirit had put in her to tell her that name

"Thank you." No more words were exchanged between them for a few more minutes, each content with just dwelling on their thoughts, their gazes fixed on Tsubasa's tranquil face as he slept unaware of their presence by his bedside.

_Fai-san loves you very much, Masooma-san._ The spirit said out of the blue, shattering the silence that had prevailed between them for a little while, _Why haven't you_ _been to see him yet?_

"I can't leave him on his own," she replied slowly, putting great thought behind every word she spoke, not letting her gaze stray from Tsubasa's face, "not after the stunt he pulled in the bath today."

_He's sleeping. _The brunette countered, his hand gently patting his son's forehead. Relief washed across his features as he let his fingers trail down to the side of his cheek. Had he been afraid he would not be able to touch his son?

"… I'm also scared of what I might find." She continued after a little while, watching as the father continued brushing his fingers through his son's hair, "There aren't many things that can rattle Nixon, but whatever they did to Fai… set him on the edge."

_They drugged Fai-san, just like they had Tsubasa,_ the spirit admitted softly and she felt her breath catching in her throat. _For a little while, he thought that the woman tormenting him was you. That __is__what the drug is designed to do, right?_

"Yes." She answered in nothing more than a breathless whisper.

_Don't worry, Fai-san managed to fight off the effects of the drug soon after I got there_, Syaoran assured her, but something about the way he said it made her heart sink a little_, he doesn't blame you for what happened to him._

"What did they do to him?" she asked weakly.

_You should go see him._ was the only answer she received. _I'll keep watch over Tsubasa._

"…He won't wake up until morning." She told him as her feet refused to move from where they had glued themselves to the floor. "He kept having nightmares, so I-"

_Even so,_ the brunette cut into her explanation as he caressed the sleeping teen's face, _I will watch him._

-0-

Masooma was a little surprised to find out from Syaoran that they were keeping Fai in Nixon's sleeping chambers for the time being. A spark of hesitance had flared up inside her but she stomped it down. She still dreaded having to face the Oracle after the way he had put her down not even a day before, but her desire to see Fai was far greater than her fear of having to come across Nixon. And so, she had all but raced down the winding corridors of the stone pyramid until she skidded to a halt outside the carved wooden double doors of Nixon's chambers. Steeling her nerves for the confrontation she might have with Nixon once she was over the threshold, she knocked on the doors once. Even if Syaoran had assured her that Fai was only resting, she did not want to just barge in and upset a delicate medical procedure. Surprise must have flittered across her face when the door was answered by none other than Kurogane, for the man quirked a brow questioningly at her before stepping aside to let her in.

His red eyes still unnerved her at times, but she knew it was just her leftover fear from the time she had spent in the Complex. Where the ninja came from, that color of eyes was not abnormal, even if it was still a bit rare. And it meant nothing whatsoever. He wasn't a hunter. Reminding herself of that and everything he had done for Fai and Syaoran and Tsubasa, she gave him a polite nod as she walked inside. What little of the room she could see was empty, and her view of the bed was obscured by a wooden screen inlaid with semi-precious stones and delicate carvings. The magicians of Magihidusi were skilled craftsmen and had there not been the whole issue with the hunters, their work would have been appreciated by many across the world.

Her breath caught in her throat when she heard the door close behind her, leaving her alone inside the spacious room with just Kurogane for company. She gritted her teeth to push away the wave of dread that overcame her for a fraction of a second. Kurogane was _not_ a hunter.

"Is it just you here for now?" She couldn't help but ask, even as she took a step towards the bed that she knew lay on the opposite side of the wooden screen. She had been in here so many times, she did not even need to look around the room to know that Nixon's wood-framed bed was placed a little ways away from the wall with a spindly iron lamp with twisting branches that seemed to spread out ending in rather beautiful spun-glass orbs that, when lit, served as the primary source of light in the room. Of course, the light wasn't for Nixon (being blind) but the lamp was placed there for the benefit of his visitors. There was a heavy study desk right under the enchanted window that showed a lovely sea-side view-a full moon shining brilliantly and reflecting against the dark waters, for it was nighttime now. Once again, that enchanted view was there for the benefit of his visitors. A blind man had no use of visionary beauties. She was slightly surprised to note that the rug that had always adorned the floor of his room was missing and there were mysterious dark patches dotting the stone in a few places.

"The princess is asleep in the next room." Kurogane answered gruffly as he moved past her and made to push the screen away. Masooma felt bad when she realized that the only reason the ninja had answered her with that explanation was because he had noticed the way she had stiffened.

"I'm sorry." She apologized quickly. He did not deserve her fear, especially when he had not done anything to hurt her in any way or form.

The man only shrugged in response as he pushed the frame completely out of the way, a strangled sound forming and dying in Masooma's throat as she took a staggering step towards the bed. The whole world ceased to exist for her as she somehow made it to the blonde lying there, still and pale as death. His hair had grown longer in captivity, its color having changed from sunshine gold to a dirty grayish-brown that was pulled back and roughly braided to keep it out of the way. His eyes were closed, his cheeks sunken with bluish veins showing through a paper-thin layer of skin and almost every inch of his body was swathed in sterile bandages.

She collapsed on the ground right beside his bed, her fingers automatically latching on to his frighteningly cold hand as she stared at him. She did not cry, not really, even if her eyes stung. She had managed to realize just in time that she wasn't alone. She was still thankful for the ninja when the man mumbled something about going to check in on Sakura before leaving. Once the door had clicked shut,her tears finally fell. Fai's breath rattled inside his chest, a wet, sickening sound every time he drew in a breath and it was almost like something was wrong inside him. She took note of the bandages wrapped around his throat, the sterile white dotted in places with a rusty brown, slowly taking into account the gauze that was enveloping his torso like a warm cocoon, noting the way a thin line of blood had dried vertically right in the middle of his chest and she found herself wondering just what they had done to cause such a wound. Bracelets of white covered his wrists and it was rather funny in a morbid way how she knew exactly what the cause behind those particular wounds would have been. Her shoulders shook a little as her tears kept on falling but she wasn't aware of her slightly hysterical chuckles until she felt a hand on her shoulder.

She whipped around, eyes wild and magic just at the tips of fingers until she realized just who it was that was standing behind her.

"K-Kurogane…"she managed to acknowledge the man in a shaky voice as she looked back Fai once more before hurriedly wiping her eyes. Turning back to the ninja, she offered him a fragile smile. The red-eyed man looked somewhat uncomfortable as he scratched the back of his head, averting his gaze briefly before looking at her again. Masooma noticed a piece of bloodied cloth wrapped around the wrist of his hand that he had been using to scratch his head and only a short moment later she realized it was a piece torn from his own shirt.

"There's something you need to know about the Mage." He informed her as he sat down on the floor beside her. Masooma forced her muscles to relax after she tensed up at his close proximity. This was too stupid. She should _not_ be afraid of a friend like that. What was wrong with her?

"What is it?" She asked, her words coming out slightly sharper than she had meant for them to sound.

"I don't know what he told you about our journey when he was here before…" he trailed off, waiting for her to offer an explanation.

"Not much apart from the fact that you were travelling together to gather Sakura's memories." She replied, "And how at one point you all came to know that the Syaoran you were travelling with was actually a clone of the Syaoran that's in my care. I'm not sure _how _it works, because the clone is also his father. And the clone of the princess is his mother."

"He didn't tell you about the time the kid left?" she could almost hear the exasperation in his tone.

"Syaoran left?" She asked the obvious question.

"The kid, he was cloned without a heart," the ninja replied, heaving a sigh as though he had not really hoped to have this conversation with her, "but his son gave him half of his own so that one day the kid would be able to grow his own heart."

"Giving a heart to an incomplete copy? It had only been possible in theory as far as I knew."

"The kid managed it. But the spell was faulty."

"How?"

"The heart would have returned to its original owner the minute the two met." Kurogane grunted.

"But surely the cloned Syaoran had grown a heart of his own by then, right?"

"The spell was faulty." He shook his head, "The clone ended up leaving us."

"Why are you telling me all this?" she asked suspiciously. What it did matter now that the Syaoran she had just talked to a little while back had left his companions in the past? He was there with them now, wasn't he?

"There was one world, where...things went really wrong." He was now intently staring at Fai's chest, just as Masooma was staring at Kurogane's face, "The mage ended up being attacked and had half of his magic stolen."

"Half his magic got-" alarmed, she snapped back to look at the magician, finding no trace or sign of the time where his magic might have been stolen from him, "but he's..." she trailed off, feeling confused and unsure. There was nothing wrong with Fai, magically speaking, that was.

"He's gotten it back since then." The ninja replied hurriedly, "But at that time, his eye had been ripped out and he was dying... We talked to the witch and found there to be only one way for him to live…"

"What are you trying to say, Kurogane?" she asked warily, wondering if this was how Syaoran had felt when she had been telling him about Tsubasa's injuries.

"He isn't human anymore."

"Wha-? Not…human?" she repeated, sounding lost. She was having trouble wrapping her mind around the concept of the blond being something different. How could he not be human? There was nothing wrong with him, he even had both his eyes. And why had he never told her about it himself?

"There was a pair of twins, vampires." She heard Kurogane speak, "they gave Fai their blood in exchange for a wish."

"He's a vampire now." She replied distantly, understanding almost instantly what the ninja had meant by Fai not being the same. She found her grip tightening on Fai's hand. Her heart thundered inside her chest as the urge to pull the blond close to her and never let go of him became almost impossible for her to bear. She did not do much to visibly show how the news was affecting her. with everything that had been going on, she had been emotionally exhausted and now she really did not have the energy to react to anything.

Vampire blood had the ability to bring someone back from the brink of death, granting them with almost astounding healing abilities in the process. There had been rumors about Ashura-ou having had his life saved by a vampire too. The vampire, who had been said to possess a magical glass eye, had come across the ruler in a frozen wasteland that had claimed the lives of his envoy. Of course, the incident had happened back when Fai had been a mere apprentice himself and had been left behind at the castle. According to the rumors though, the vampire had not used his own blood to heal the king but the blood stolen from a pureblood. The few books that she had read about the subject of transformations had mentioned such a conversion to be cursed. If the vampire was not willing to give their blood, the transformed would slowly descend into madness. Of course, Fai had told her that had been nothing but rumors. Ashura-ou was probably the sanest man she had ever known. And the king did not consume blood. But Fai… "He needs blood, doesn't he?"

"The mage had not wanted to be turned," Kurogane said slowly, "it had been my wish to keep him alive. He became my responsibility because of that wish, so I'm the only one he could feed from… it went away when he got his magic back, but when we found him in that place… I think some part of it reawakened."

"He never told me anything..." she murmured softly, squeezing her eyes shut to stop herself from crying in front of Kurogane over something so trivial. Why did it matter that Fai had kept this a secret from her? She had not told Fai everything about the damage done to her either, had she? He had never pressed her to tell him about everything...

"Maybe he just didn't want to worry you." Kurogane offered. "He must have thought it wouldn't come back either…and from what I know of the mage, he's not someone that openly talks about his past."

"I know…" she replied, her free hand straying to her stomach as recalled her conversation with Tsubasa, "I've kept secrets from him too, but…" she shook that train of thought away as she looked at the ninja, "I'm sure there was a reason why you told me about this now."

"Just thought you should know," He shrugged in response, "and… I didn't want to startle you when I, you know."

"How frequently do you have to feed him?" Her mind was already trying to come up with how much damage had to have been already healed by his vampire blood by now. If this was how he looked like after having been healed of about a month's worth of time…what did he look like when they had first brought him in?

"About every four hours at this point," That meant Fai had to have been fed about four times already then.

"Losing that much blood can't be good for you." She eyed him closely, taking note of the slightly sickly pallor of his dark skin, the yellowish tint of eyes, the slight chappy dryness of his lips. "No wonder you look so peaky." She muttered under her breath.

"I get by." He said dismissively, "The princess already told me to be careful, so don't worry about that."

"Was it... painful?" she asked softly as she pushed a strand of Fai's hair out of his face."I read it's supposed to be excruciating."

"For a little while," he replied, a touch of hesitance to his tone. It was clear there was something the ninja was not telling her, but she wasn't sure she wanted to know what it was. She wasn't sure she would have been able to handle the knowledge. Just the thought Fai being even more hurt than how he appeared made her want to be sick. How barbaric could those bastards be?

"He never did tell me much about his journey with you guys… I guess now I know why." She gave a mirthless chuckle.

"Well, maybe you'll have time for that now." Kurogane offered, "He's not going to be going anywhere for a while, so he can't avoid it if you ask."

"He's pretty good at avoiding things he doesn't want to talk about." She countered, struggling to keep her tone somewhat light. If she asked Fai about his secrets, she would have to tell him about the one she had been keeping from him. How would he react to knowing that she would not be able to give him the one thing he had always wanted, even if he had never said it out loud? His love for children had shone in almost everything he did, from the way he sometimes behaved and talked to the way his eyes softened and his smile brightened when he stopped to play with them.

"Only because he can usually walk away." Was the only response she got.

_**A/N: So Syaoran found out about Tsubasa's paralysis and Masooma found out about Fai's vampirism. What do you guys think should happen next? I'm sorry if it's going a little slow right now but I need to tie a lot of things before we get down to the epic showdown. There's still the matter of Nixon's volatile state of mind and Fai still has to wake up and Tsubasa still has to recover his memories. Who do you think should be around when Fai wakes up? Thanks to his awesome vampire healing powers, he'll be waking up by the end of the next chapter so I'd love to hear your thoughts on who it should be that's with him.**_

_**And apart from that, is there anything in particular that you guys might like to see included in these 'slow' chapters of the story before everything goes back to hell again? ;) ;) Feel free to drop a review stating your opinions and suggestions.**_

_**Until next time.**_

_**~Obsidian**_

_**P.S. Since I didn't exactly make it very clear in this chapter and I probably won't be going into much detail in the future chapters either, Tsubasa had to get Magihidusi's version of a catheter for his bed-wetting problem. A catheter is what is used for bed-ridden patients after a major surgery or for people suffering from paralysis. It consists of a drainage bag that is attached to a plastic tube that is used to collect urine from the patient. I'll spare you guys the scarring details of the whole procedure but if anyone is interested, look it up on the internet. ;P Just don't say I didn't warn you.**_


	45. Bonded

_**A/N: I'm back~ Here's a new chapter (I know many of you would be going 'finally!' over this). There's a little bit of timeskip (about a day's worth) in the middle of this chapter but since I didn't really clarify that in the story I thought I should mention that here. I would have put this chapter up over the weekend but unfortunately I ended up losing the first half of this chapter and I realized that I didn't have a copy of it anywhere so I had to rewrite the whole thing. But I like how it turned out the second time around a lot more than when I first wrote it so enjoy~**_

Kurogane watched the witch closely for a response but she refused to say anything further, gently brushing her fingers across the magician's forehead instead. The blonde's hair was a dirty, unkempt mess and the princess had pulled it back in a rough braid to keep it from getting in her way, but he doubted anything could really be done about it until the mage woke up. Judging from its length, Kurogane figured it must be halfway down the idiot's back by now, though the rusty, brown-ish gray color was somewhat unnerving to see where he had been so used to seeing locks the shade of sunny gold.

"You need to feed him soon." It was a statement but it sounded a bit like a question to Kurogane at the same time.

"As soon as the princess wakes up." He nodded even though the witch's gaze was still fixed on the blond.

"Why wait for her?"

"She's been keeping track of his progress every time I give him some blood."

"Of course," she dipped her head once before turning around to look at him. "Prey's blood accelerates healing."

"Yeah, the princess is hopeful he'll wake up by tomorrow if this keeps up."

"Has Sakura been resting properly? I haven't been able to come see her since when you four first arrived, but she looked exhausted to me that one time we talked."

"She has been working herself to unconsciousness these past few weeks." He sighed with a shake of his head.

"So this is probably the first real sleep she has had in a while." She pointed out quietly.

"It is." He grunted, feeling annoyed at what she seemed to be insinuating. He did not like it anymore than she did. The princess needed rest just as much as anyone else. Maybe even more, considering the amount of magic she had been constantly expending for the past few weeks. She would definitely fall sick if she did not stop acting that way, but there wasn't much Kurogane could do to help her out. The princess hated seeing the ones she cared about in pain. The only reason she was asleep even now instead of worrying over the mage was because she had almost collapsed a few hours back and he had to sling her over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes and literally dump her onto the bed in the next room, ignoring her protests and telling her he would tie her there unless she rested for a little while herself, promising to not leave the mage alone for even a second while she slept. The jade-eyed girl had been asleep before he had even turned around to leave.

"Would it be wise to wake her up now, considering she might not rest again until she passes out from exhaustion?" Kurogane was smart enough to pick up on what she was subtly trying to hint at. She might have not come out and outright said it, but from the way she was putting it, she wanted to be the one to look after the mage for a little while. From what he had gathered of the two from his observations of their interactions - and maybe an encounter with a very red-faced Syaoran on one occasion mumbling something about having run into the pair- Kurogane knew they both cared about each other a lot.

The murderous look in the blonde's eyes when he had calmly told them about his wish to stay in Magihidusi a little longer and maybe go pay a visit to the hunters at the Complex while they were there was something that had shocked Kurogane when he thought he had figured out pretty much everything there was to know about the blond. The mage was a coolheaded, manipulative plotter who liked to sit back and let others do the work for him, something that he had done a lot in the beginning of their journey though he had stepped up to help out every now and then as they had spent more time together. Topping the mage's pseudo-request with what he had known of the witch's strange behavior around him – her fear of being left alone someplace with just Kurogane, shying from physical touch unless she knew beforehand about the contact and her aversion to them going to Metropolis in search for a cure for the meat bun the last time they had been there, Kurogane would either had to have been blind or stupid to not know at least that the two were in love, even if neither of them had outright said it in front of him.

"You could check him over and tell the princess about it later." He offered, taking pity on her a little. The girl looked so hopeful and somewhat afraid as she looked at him.

"I should probably take a look now before you feed him, in that case." She nodded, turning back around to look at the unconscious magician, magic already flaring at her fingertips as she traced patterns through the air. "I'll need something to compare his state to, to know the true extent of the progress he makes."

The ninja nodded, his eyes following the tracings through the air. Kurogane had never been a true fan of magic, what with it being somewhat unnatural and beyond his control in most cases, but seeing any magician cast magic was somewhat…enchanting to look at. It was beautiful in its own deadly way and though he vehemently claimed he could never be distracted by something like magic, Kurogane was guilty of having tuned out everything around him in favor of watching the way any magician- in most cases the idiot that travelled with their group- cast a spell when the situation allowed it. Of course he never let his attention waver in the heat of a battle, but when they were in peaceful worlds or when nothing was at stake, Kurogane would allow himself to indulge in this guilty pleasure of watching magic at work in the hands of a master.

This witch was definitely the magician's apprentice. The magician's influence showed in the way she moved her fingers and the way she concentrated as she cast the spell and even though Kurogane had not seen her fight, he was sure it would show in the way she handled her weapon. She knew how to fight, that much he could tell. He was a trained fighter, a veteran at that, and he knew another weapon handler when he saw one. From the way she moved, he would guess her weapon to be some sort of spear or a staff. She was a mid-range fighter, though she could probably handler herself just fine at close-range as well.

The runes she had spelled out glowed steadily crimson as they hovered above the magician's prone form for a second or two before they descended and disappeared beneath the bandages. Kurogane could see a steady stream of thin crimson threads connecting the tips of the witch's fingers to the runes he had seen vanish inside the blonde's body. It was slightly unnerving to be able to see the flow of magic as it moved through the latter's flesh, seeing it concentrate around the places where he knew the injuries were located. The largest concentration of this magic was the mage's chest- the place where that ugly y-shaped cut existed. Kurogane's mind flashed back to the first time he had seen the mage lying in a puddle of his own blood, his flesh stained crimson and his innards exposed to the world through the torn flaps of muscle, littered with snapped bones and God knew what else. He had been the one to realign those bones and cover his exposed insides with that bloody flesh.

The princess had been the one to tend to the magician after that and he had not really seen any of the internal damage done to the blond after that first time when they had rescued him. It was hard to believe it had only been a day since they had gotten him back. It felt like years to him now as he stood there.

The healer's magic originated from the crimson strands in her hair, Kurogane was surprised to note as he _saw_ the energy flare in those areas before moving through her own body to the tips of her fingers, through the threads of magic connecting her to the mage, spreading out to the injured areas in a heartbeat. His blood seemed to be doing the magician some good, considering how the bones that had been snapped clean were now reattached with barely hairline cracks present, the burns on his back all but gone and the bruises nearly invisible. Of course, not everything had been fixed already, or the idiot would have already been awake seeing as how the cuts were still there, the worst of the damage showing up around his wrists, ankles and his chest. Then there was that one spot near his shoulder blade as well.

The cut on his chest had to have been almost three and a half inches deep a day back, but now it was only about an inch deep. For that Kurogane was grateful, for it meant that the blond was healing just fine. The ninja _had_ been a little worried about how the witch would handle it once she realized the true extent of her beloved's injuries, but as the amber-eyed woman turned around to face him, she had a mask of detached professionalism slapped across her features. Kurogane supposed he could not begrudge her this, seeing as if she let herself feel, she might not be able to hold it together. Hell, the only reason why _he _had managed to hold it all together was because of the fact that it had not been the first time the magician had come close to death, even if this had been the first time he had actually been dead for over five minutes.

"Do you need help holding his head?" she asked softly just as Kurogane started unwrapping his wrist.

"I'd appreciate it." He grunted quietly, pulling out Ginryuu to slice at the barely-healed flesh of his hand, causing it to bleed anew.

The witch nodded before moving to the magician's side, gently placing her hands beneath his head to lift if above the pillow. Kurogane sat down on the bed near the blonde's arm in such a way that his knees almost touched the healer's when he moved to part the blonde's lips. Touching his wrist to the man's mouth, the ninja felt his blood steadily dripping in, though he still had to massage the blond's throat to make him swallow. No words were exchanged between the two conscious people in the room, even after he withdrew his hand and started wrapping his wrist with the cloth again. He was assaulted by vertigo when he tried to stand and he had to shake his head a couple of times just to get rid of the dark spots dancing across his vision. The princess had been right about him losing too much blood.

Soft hands touched his arm and he turned his head to find the witch looking up at him in concern.

"Losing that much blood is not good for your health." She said and Kurogane had to resist the urge to snort at that. Had he not been just thinking about that? Before he could say anything else, the amber-eyed witch was tracing a spell through the air before directing it towards him. Warmth filled his whole body before the lightheadedness and the dull headache that had been assaulting him all day vanished completely. "It's a spell for blood-replenishment." She told him with a soft smile before letting out a startled gasp as she looked at the blond.

The hollowness of his cheeks had filled out and a little bit of color had returned to his skin. The sickening wet sound of his breathing had also dulled out so much that it was only noticeable to him because he was looking for it. It wasn't the first time he was happy about his selfish decision to have turned the mage into a part-vampire back in Acid Tokyo, but it had to have been the first time he was thanked for it as the amber-eyed witch wrapped her arms around his torso in a hug.

-0-

_With a tiny prick, the needle broke his skin. She smiled at him as she pushed the plunger and the burning liquid was injected into his veins. It hurt. It hurt like hell, but he only bit his lip and struggled to keep the screams from escaping him. A swift kick to his ribs took care of that, making him cry out, but even as he felt like he was yelling himself hoarse, he could not hear anything except her cruel whispers next to his ear as her charcoal eyes slowly morphed into a light, honey-ish amber shade. _

_He was being dragged someplace by his hair, his bare back scraping and bleeding against the rough stones before he was thrown into a coldcoldcold room. There was no light but despite the darkness his world turned white with pain as he hit the wall and broke his arm with a sickening crack._

_Laughter echoed all around him. He was cold. So, so cold. He was so weak. And thirsty. But he did not want water. No. He would rather die of thirst than ask to be given some water. The bile always burned his throat when they forced him to throw up again and again and again before drowning him without really drowning him. No… dying of thirst was a much better option._

_He was burning, fire licking at his flesh, eating and tearing and ripping and peeling away his body. He couldn't move, though. He couldn't even scream, could only feel the pain and cry, tears evaporating before they could touch his cheeks, his eyes shriveling up inside his head, his skin cracking and flaking under her cold finger as she caressed his face._

'_Tell me, Fai,' her lips were brushing against his ear even as he screamed yet couldn't scream at the same time. He had no eyes, but he could see her as she pulled away to give him an insane grin, one eye as dark and unforgiving as a bottomless pit of pure evil while the other was a cold, stony amber, a cruel smirk twisting her face into something inhuman, silver bangs falling across the black eye while crimson and black tresses partially covered the brown one. He was screaming and screaming but no sound was escaping his lips that were no longer there, blood was filling up his mouth even though the muscles of his face were shriveling up and crumbling to dust, 'you like this, right?' her fingers were snaking across his chest, scraping across the charred ribs and moving lower and lower, 'you want this.' _

_He was dying. Burning, yet she was laughing. Smiling. She leaned closer as he found it harder and harder to breathe, 'Why won't you tell me, Fai? You know you want this.' Why was he still alive? His body had burnt away yet he was still alive. A touch of her lips and his flesh was back, firm and whole. The fire was gone. 'I'll take it all away, Fai. Just say you like it.'He parted his lips but he had no voice. '_Say it!' _she ordered as the fire returned her hand morphing into a claw. When he still could not speak, she covered his lips with her own, her face changing and morphing yet again, becoming demonic before she shoved her hand into his chest, tearing out his beating heart as she pulled away. 'I'll take what I want, Fai.' She grinned at him, her face morphing into that of a familiar-looking brunette. 'Why did you do it, Fai-san?' Syaoran accused him as his world slowly turned to darkness._

He shot up, panting hard, a scream dying inside his throat as he looked around, eyes wide and panicked. His heart thundered inside his chest, pounding wildly as his whole body was wracked with tremors. Where… where was he? What was going on? What had that… what had that dream been? Breathing hard, he tried to take in his surroundings through blurry vision. The first thing he noticed was the light. It wasn't dark where he was. The next thing, of course, was the wide window with sun setting over sparkling waters, the sky turning a beautiful blend of golds and pinks and blues. The air smelled musty and damp and had that underground quality to it but… he wasn't… he was… he wasn't… he was- where was he?

His heartbeat slowed down a little as he blinked his eyes a couple of times, trying to get the bleariness to go away, though it didn't do much except make a few tears escape. He slowly felt his panic subside as a few familiar scents flooded his senses, calming him down enough to take in the appearance of the place. He recalled having been there before, his fingers slowly unclenching from their death grip in the clean sheets. He felt the soft mattress beneath him and the clothes covering his body and he let out a shaky sigh. He was safe. He tried to think back on what had happened to him before he passed out but all he could recall was the feel of slender hands snapping his fingers one by one, followed by the agony of being burnt alive. Gingerly, he reached over his shoulder to touch his back but all he felt was smooth, unblemished skin.

He was healed. How long had he been sleeping? Where was everyone? Why was he alone?

'_They didn't care enough about you to stay by your side, Fai.' _A cruel hiss next to his ear had him freezing up as he made to push the sheets off his pajama-clad body. A ghost of a touch snaked across his neck and he scrambled out of bed, falling flat on his face and then scrambling across the floor until he had his back pressed against the wall as he hurriedly surveyed his surroundings. He gulped slowly as he forced himself to calm down, noticing the tangy flavor of blood on his tongue for the first time. Had Kurogane been…?'_You didn't really think you got rid of me, did you, Fai?'_

His eyes widened as his breath hitched in his throat. His mind dredged up memories of a time when he was surrounded by nothing but a heavy, deafening silence and blinding darkness. He remembered being consumed by agony, remembered being paralyzed and unable to move, to feel, to do anything except… he had known nothing but pain but now… he raised a shaking hand to his eye level, taking note of how not even a single scar marred its perfection. Had all that been…_'You know it wasn't a dream. They abandoned you. Left you to suffer at my hands. And even now, they've left you alone. There's no one here but you and me.' _

"N-No…" he could hear footsteps approaching outside in the hallway and subconsciously found his claws elongating. The scent of spilt blood hung heavy in the air as he remembered having sunken his nails into something soft and warm. He had… he had hurt someone… the scent of this blood was familiar to him and he couldn't help but gasp just as the door was pushed open and in stepped the owner of that scent.

"Fai-san!" Surprise, alarm and joy all flittered across her face as Sakura stepped inside the room, hurriedly setting the tray down on the ground as she approached him with the cautiousness of someone approaching an injured wild animal. "You're awake. How are you feeling?"

'_Look at those scars, Fai!'_ the voice whispered in manic delight, as his gaze settled on the three scabbed-over marks that started right under her eye and ended just above her lower jaw, _'you did that to her.'_

"I-I… No… No…"

"Fai-san, calm down," her voice was soothing and soft and kind. But he had… he took in the scars on her arms and he found himself going cold all over. "It's okay. You're safe."

"Sak-Sakura-chan…"he gasped out, struggling to bring his hysteria under control even as the voice listed off things that he had done to her. "I-I…"

"You recognize me!" Her eyes shone with pure joy as she stepped closer to him. "How are you feeling, Fai-san?"

"I- Why wouldn't I rec-recognize you, Sakura-chan?" It took everything he had in him to flash her a smile, though from the way it strained the muscles of his cheeks, it must have turned out to be more of a grimace, "Am I in…" he gulped heavily, looking anywhere but at her face, "Am I in Magihidusi?"

"Yes," she cried happily as she launched herself at him, her arms enveloping him in a warm embrace, though he fought to keep himself from trembling as she held him. "Oh, Fai-san, you have no idea how happy I am to see you're okay."

"I'm happy to see you, too, Sakura-chan." He mumbled in response as she pulled away, beaming widely at him.

"I'm… I'm going to go get Kurogane-san, okay?" she told him, pulling him back to the bed as she gave him a bright grin, "He's sleeping in the room next to this and I was just…I'll just go get him, you wait right here, okay?" and then she was out the wooden door, calling out the ninja's name as she raced down the corridor.

'_The stupid girl just doesn't realize how wrong she is about you.' _The voice purred, phantom fingers slowly trailing up his chest, all the way to his neck. '_You're not fine at all, are you, Fai?'_

"Shut up." He hissed, fingers digging into the palms of his hands as his gaze darted over to the doorway.

_**A/N: Things have started to pick up a little bit of pace now (hopefully) If this keeps up we'll be back into the swing of things in another chapter or two at max. I want to thank everyone for their suggestions on who should be with Fai when he wakes up (most of you wanted it to be Kurogane) but the problem with that bit was that with Fai's current mental state, Kurogane would have been able to tell in an instant that something was wrong with him. Heck, even now he'll be suspicious and him knowing that Fai was hearing voices in his head was not working out with what I had in mind for this story so in the end I decided that Fai had to be alone. Sakura would have been there but she stepped away for a little while to get something to eat. **_

_**Because I'm sure there are a lot of you who're thinking this is getting too depressive, Tsubasa will soon be realizing the truth. (like maybe in a chapter or two ;) ;) ) aaaaannnnd thanks to my awesome Beta who has rightfully earned the title of Fluffy because she is the cause behind pretty much more than half the fluff you see in my stories, the chapter after next **_**will**_** have some good old sickeningly sweet fluff. **_

_**P.S. The 400**__**th**__** Reviewer for Broken will be getting an exclusive sneak peak at the fluffy bits. ;) ;)**_


	46. Behind Blue Eyes

_**A/N: I got a pretty interesting review last time but it was anonymous so I couldn't really reply to it via PM even though I prefer doing that instead of answering here but oh well. This is a response to the anon reviewer noel so you guys can all just skip on ahead to the update ;) Here goes. I know the story is confusing but that's just the way I write though I do tend to clarify stuff as the plot moves along. Some things I leave up to the readers for interpretation but mostly I do explain what's going on. The bits with them trying to help Syaoran and Fai running are the events happening in the present while them talking to a bunch of people is the past. I kinda made that clear when I put the past in italics. And I'm pretty sure I also mentioned that in one of my notes. I'm sorry if it hurt your head but I did not just 'throw 3 different stories into one and did not just even organize it.' Everything is linked together and not just randomly put in as it struck my fancy.**_

_**Damn… I'm really hungry now but then again I did end up missing dinner. Oh well, go ahead and enjoy the update while I go raid my cupboard from some hidden stash of food.**_

'_Can you make me?'_ The whispering voice challenged almost smugly.

"I said shut up!" he half-snarled, half-whispered.

"…and he's actually talking, Kurogane-san." Sakura sounded absolutely ecstatic, from the tone of her voice.

'_I wonder what she'll say when she realizes you can hear me.'_

"Get lost."

'_And go where, _Fai_-_san_?' _the voice mocked in Sakura's cheery tone. '_I'm inside your head, I'm not really here. It's all you. Poor Syaoran will be _so _disappointed, what with you promising him you'd be fine and all.'_

Before he could retort, however, Kurogane was stepping inside the room, looking just as cautious as Sakura had been earlier. Did they expect him to start screaming randomly or something?

"Mage?"

"I see you still haven't learnt my proper name, Kuro-tan."He replied, plastering on the biggest grin he could muster as he looked up to peer at the red-eyed man, though he avoided meeting his gaze. Kurogane would only have to take one look at him and know he was _not_ okay. Clenching his fists harder in the sheets, he struggled to calm his trembling body. Something was wrong with him and if his friends found out about it…he actually had no idea what they'd do, but he knew it would not be good to let them know.

"How… how did I get back here?" he asked, trying to keep his panic at bay. He was fine. He was just fine. There was absolutely nothing wrong with him. The voice in his head would go away if he ignored it and… he was safe now. He had nothing to worry about. He was back with the people he loved and trusted.

"We came and rescued you," Kurogane grunted in his familiar manner, though Fai could detect the hint of irritation in his tone. "How else?"

'_He knows something is wrong with you, Fai. 'her _voice pointed out gleefully but Fai ignored it.

"Eloquent as ever, Kuro-tan." He managed to force out a laugh, just a second too late. His heartbeat sped up as he noticed the way the warrior's frown deepened. He had to pay attention to what they were saying to him.

'_He knows you're lying.' _The voice almost sang and it took everything he had to not tell the stupid thing to shut the hell up and leave him alone. It would go away if he didn't pay attention to it.

"Fai-san," Sakura's voice almost made him jump and he cursed himself for getting distracted.

"Hai, Sakura-chan?"

"Do you mind if I run one final checkup on you?" she asked, taking a step towards him.

"Checkup for what? I'm already healed, aren't I?" he prayed to all the deities he never truly believed in, to not let her or Kurogane notice the small tremor in his voice or the obvious fragility of his forced laughter.

"Your vampire half has healed your body almost completely," The princess nodded, taking another step and then another step and then another. Fai forced himself to remain seated. It wouldn't help his case at all if he were to bolt if she came close to him. Besides, this was Sakura. She would never hurt him… right? _'Keep telling yourself that, Fai.' _He ignored the voice, focusing his attention on making his body stay still when she settled on the bed next to him. He couldn't help but flinch when she reached out with one hand. Guilt stabbed at his heart when he noticed the hurt that flashed across her face at his action as she let he limb drop in her lap. "But I still want to be sure."

"But I'm feeling just fine, Sakura-chan." Kurogane was moving closer now too and he had to bite his lip to stop from asking the warrior to keep his distance. They were coming too close. Too close.

"Mage, stop being difficult and let the princess run her tests."

'_He knows you're hiding something.'_

"But I…" he protested weakly, not even sure if he was answering the Japanese man or the voice in his head as Sakura spoke up again.

"Please, Fai-san, I just want to make sure you're not still hurt."

Heaving a shaky sigh, he nodded his assent, trying not to let it show just how much their close proximity was affecting him. Kurogane was only four feet away and the princess was now standing right before him, her soft fingers lightly taking hold of his hand. He shuddered as her face overlapped with another's. He blinked as warm magic flooded through his body and he was looking back at Sakura once again. The fear and tension left his muscles as he let himself drown in the pleasant feeling of pure bliss, a small grin slowly forming on his lips as he found himself forgetting about everything that bothered him until there was nothing left at all. Nothing at all.

All too soon, the bliss ended and he was slammed back into harsh reality as the princess withdrew her hands with a soft smile. He felt like crying out and begging for her to not stop. He did not want that feeling to leave him just yet. He wasn't…he wasn't ready to face the…

'_Run away then, Fai. You won't have to face anything that way.'_

"…-san?"

"Huh?" he responded intelligently.

"I asked if everything was alright with your vision, Fai-san. I picked up on some damage to the optic nerves, but-"

"Things appear rather blurry to me at a distance of a few feet." He replied with a nod, suddenly very much aware of her small hands resting atop his own that lay uselessly in his lap.

"I was afraid of that. Don't worry though, it's not permanent but it may take a little while to heal. Even with all the blood Kurogane-san has been giving you lately, it seems that the nerves will have to heal on their own."

"That's okay, Sakura-chan, we wouldn't want Kuro-puu to die of blood loss well before his time, would we now?" He was somewhat relieved to see her smile back at him.

"Kurogane-san, could you please go and find Masooma-san and Nixon-san? And Syaoran-san as well, if you see him." The princess was suddenly addressing the ninja, "I think they would like to know that Fai-san is awake."

With an affirmative grunt, the red-eyed man was gone, leaving him alone with the princess. He was trembling again, though the princess thankfully did not say anything about it.

'_She did not buy your pathetic lies.'_

"Fai-san," he stiffened at the sound of her voice again as her soft fingers slowly wrapped around his hands. He remembered the time when his fingers had been broken one by one, each with an audible and sickening crack. Was she… was she going to do that too?

'_Of course, who would want to touch you otherwise? That's exactly what she will do to you.'_ But no, Sakura was, well… she was Sakura-chan… she would never hurt him. She couldn't hurt him. She was much too kind for that. Despite all this, he had to actively stop himself from pulling his hands away. It would hurt her if he were to do that.

"You know we'll always be there for you, right?" She gave him a small smile, green eyes boring into his own as he tried to break away from her captivating gaze. He was afraid she'd be able to see what was going on inside his head. She would… "If you ever feel like there is something you need to talk about, we'll be there to listen."

With Kurogane gone from the room, it was somehow easier for him to slap on one of his well-practiced grins. It had taken him a little while to figure it out, but he had been able to produce his smiles. It was the same type of smile that he had worn oh-so-frequently during his journey with the clones on their quest to collect the other Sakura's memories. Speaking of which, he could almost detect traces of that Sakura beginning to show in this one. Could it be that…

"Fai-san?" his grin had not been reassuring enough, apparently. He'd have to work on that if he were to convince them he was perfectly fine. "Of course I know that, Sakura-chan." He smiled as his will power ran out and he gently extricated his fingers from her soft hands. He hated himself for the pained expression that flashed across her features, but he could do nothing to reassure her and so he looked away, gritting his teeth as _she _drawled next to his ear.

'_But you never _will_ tell them, will you, _Fai-san?'

-0-

Something wasn't right, Tsubasa realized as he watched the memory with a frown. The silver-haired woman was acting far too much like _her._ Not like the person he had fallen in love with, but the one that had all but driven him to the brink of insanity. And he _still _couldn't remember all of this happening to him. True, with every memory he viewed, he would _know_ it had truly happened and he had suffered through it, but when he tried to remember the events leading up to it all or the events that followed what he had seen in these memories, he would draw nothing more than a blank and if he ever tried to fill in that blank, he would be assaulted by massive headaches that usually ended up with him either falling unconscious or screaming in pain and causing Masooma to rush to his side and then lecture him about not forcing himself.

Things still did not make much sense to him, but everything was slowly falling into place, like the missing pieces of a very large jigsaw puzzle. Only he still had _quite_ a lot of pieces still left to fit into place. But at least a pattern had begun to unravel. Now he just had to figure out what it all meant.

He flinched as the beginnings of another round of blinding headaches assaulted him, but a warning glance from Masooma was all it took for him to stop forcing himself to make out the pattern that was just a little out of his reach. It had already been four days since he had first started viewing his memories and while he did not enjoy watching himself get tortured by the nameless people in the same manner the ones he had once called his friends had tortured him, he was still a little glad to know that he only had a couple more days to go before he found the answers he was searching for.

"I think that's enough for today," Masooma said quietly just as the silver-haired woman leaned closer to the memory-him that was bound to a platform of some sort. She had been relentlessly beating him, snapping the bones in his hands one by one every time he refused to answer her questions. Her questions were another thing that puzzled him. They were very much the same questions _she_ had demanded he answer. Was it possible that this woman had somehow turned his friends against him instead? Or maybe… those people that had tormented him had been that world's versions of his friends… but no! They knew too much.

Tsubasa's mind reeled. There was no way that Sakura could have been someone else. Had this woman been working under his friends, unknown to him? The silver-haired woman began molesting his memory self and he couldn't help but grin when the brunette in the memory bit her in retaliation to the kiss she had forced upon him. Just as she drew back with an enraged snarl, lips bloody and pulled back in an ugly expression, the memory began to fade to black.

"Masooma-san…"he said as the witch came to in her place at his bedside, "can I ask you something?" Having seen himself being beat up by those hunters for almost three days straight now, it no longer affected him in the way it had when he had seen the very first memory. Things had indeed been slowly falling into place but there were still so many things he needed to know.

"Hmm?" she responded intelligently as she blinked the tiredness away from her eyes.

"How did I meet you? How did I end up in Magihidusi?" Those were the two questions that had been at the forefront of his mind for quite some time now.

"…" For a minute, it seemed like she was not going to answer him at all as the witch looked away with a sad look on her face. Quite a few precious, breathless seconds went by before she finally spoke up, "You came here with your friends, looking for a way to return your father to his body."

"Did I ever find anything?" He asked almost eagerly, his heart skipping a beat at the thought of his father. It had been so long since he had actually thought about the purpose of his journey in the first place.

"You might have." She replied.

"What do you mean?" he leant towards her in anticipation.

"I'm not sure what you found out," she shook her head, "but whatever it was, it had gotten you pretty excited before you left for Metropolis. You kept going on about how it would only be a matter of time before they would be with you again."

"What was stopping me?"

"There was something else that you had to do first. You had promised to help out one of your companions."

"Why won't you tell me the complete truth?" He grit out in frustration. Why did this witch keep on giving such vague answers? It was obvious she knew a lot more about his time here than he did, yet every time he tried asking her, she either refused to answer at all or told him something that left his mind reeling with more questions.

"You need to go through the rest of your memories first." Masooma replied patiently, using the same words and the same tone she had already used with him every time he asked her that question.

"How many more memories do I have to see?" he exploded, "What is that you want me to see so badly that you can't answer my questions until I have seen it? Why can't you just _tell_ me what it is?"

"Your friends were not the ones who did this to you." She said flatly.

"What?" he let out an incredulous laugh. "Why do you keep saying that?"

"There you go. Does that answer your question?" She turned back to face him, "you're not ready to hear the truth, Syaoran. After everything you have been through, no matter what I tell you, you just can't accept it. Not until…"

"Not until?"

"Not until you have seen what you need to see."

His next words were interrupted by loud knocking on the door.

"I'll be right back." She murmured quickly as she climbed to her feet and walked over to the door. As she slid it open, Syaoran caught sight of Nixon standing just on the other side of the threshold.

"Nixon, w-what are you doing here?"

"Hello, Syaoran, how are you doing today?" The man grinned as he stepped past the witch and into the room, ignoring her altogether.

"I'm… fine." He replied a little hesitantly, casting a worried glance towards the woman who looked quite upset about him being there.

"That's good to know." The Oracle nodded approvingly, "How are the memories coming along?"

"I'm starting to remember bits and pieces." Tsubasa found himself saying. "It's not enough, but it's still a start I suppose."

"That's the spirit." The raven-head grinned.

"Nixon, why are you here?" Masooma questioned firmly, stepping in front of the man with a rather defensive scowl on her face.

"_He_ just woke up." Nixon's grin turned a little strained. Tsubasa figured that this '_he'_ was probably the same man that had sacrificed everything to help rescue him, though from the firm set of Nixon's jaw, the brunette found his heart sinking to the pit of his stomach. Something was definitely wrong with that person if Nixon was not happy about his friend waking up.

"He woke up?" Masooma repeated breathlessly, "I-I… Can… Can I…" she trailed off, looking back at him worriedly before her gaze travelled to Nixon's stony looking face and then back towards him.

"They want us to come see him." He nodded.

"But I can't leave Syaoran on his own." Masooma was worrying her lip now. She appeared quite torn between her desire to go see the man she loved and staying by Syaoran's side and taking care of him- though he still could not understand why she tried so hard. He felt a little bad for making her worry so much about him. It had already been a couple of days since he had tried to drown himself in the bathtub and while it was still just as humiliating as it had been when he had first realized he had wet himself, Syaoran had not pulled anymore stunts after that brief talk he had with the medic in the bathroom. But she had not really trusted him to be on his own anymore after that. From the look of it, she seemed to think he might try strangling himself with the plastic tubing of his urine bag the minute she turned her back to him.

He opened his mouth to promise her that he would not try anything in her absence, but the Oracle beat her to it. "Put him to sleep then. It is important that _he_ sees you now."

"I'm not going to force him to sleep just because _you _feel like it." She argued, looking rather indignant on Tsubasa's behalf.

"Well I sure as hell am not staying here to babysit your patient and you know it." The Oracle snapped as he turned on his heels and started walking away, "I only came to tell you that _he_ woke up. Do whatever you feel like doing now." And then he was gone.

"Masooma-san-" he started but the witch cut him off, "Don't worry about that ass, Syaoran, I'm not going to use magic on you without your permission." She smiled at him, "I did promise you that, didn't I?"

She had never promised him something like that. The only thing he could ever recall being even remotely related to the use of her magic on him would have been him telling her not to use her calming spells on him back when she had forced him to view his first memory.

"It's okay." He gave her a fragile smile.

"What?" her eyes widened almost comically, as though she did not believe what he had just said.

"I said it's okay if you use your magic on me." He mumbled, looking down at his hands fisted around the blanket in his lap. "You don't trust me on my own and even though I promised you I wouldn't try anything again you're still around me every waking minute of the day. I guess my promises won't mean much to you because of what I did in the bathroom." He looked back up only to see her hands subconsciously move towards the place where Syaoran knew the scars were on her stomach. She did not seem to be aware of the action, though, as she stared right back at him, eyes wide in disbelief. Syaoran felt really bad at having pushed her to the limit that day.

He had forced her to reveal something she had not even told her precious person about until now. She had done it in a desperate bid to show him she meant him no harm, that she had been a victim of something similar once, but the significance of her actions had been lost on Tsubasa at that time. After that, there never really had been any time for him to dwell on the matter but now that he thought about it, it must have taken a lot of courage on her part to tell him about it.

She had been a victim too once and now her precious person had been subjected to something similar. He was back from _their _clutches and finally awake, but she could not leave his side to go visit the man she loved because of some unspoken duty she had to Tsubasa. This was the least he could do for her in return.

"You have my permission to use magic and put me to sleep for now," he said with a small nod, trying to keep the smile pasted on his face though from the expression on her own, he could tell it must not have looked very convincing. "I could use a little bit of rest. The memories I saw today have given me far too much to think about," that was only half a lie, "and I'm afraid if I tried sleeping on my own, I would end up getting nightmares again. Could you please…?"

"Oh Syaoran," her scent washed over him as she threw her arms around him in a hug- the smell a mix of something tangy and pleasant with a little bit of snow. "Thank you."He found himself missing the comfort of her embrace as she pulled away to grin at him.

"No problem, Masooma-san." He found himself smiling back and for the first time that day, his smile was genuine and not weak. Her fingers touched his temple and Syaoran felt her magic flow into his own body, a feeling of calm and tiredness overcoming him, causing him to fall backwards. He was asleep before his head hit the pillow.

_**A/N: Everyone is coming to see Fai. How do you think will he hold up when everyone is around him? Will someone realize what's wrong with Fai? Do you think he might freak out and lose control?**_

_**Tsubasa is finally beginning to make the connections and he's starting to put his trust in people again (even if it's only Masooma for the time being). How do you think he should realize the truth? Pick one of the following and leave your response in a comment since I'm too lazy to go and create a poll on my profile. **_

_**A. Tsubasa figures out the truth on his own**_

_**B. He sees Syaoran and learns the truth from his father (or Masooma and his father both)**_

_**C. He goes through all his memories and discovers the truth of what happened to him from that**_

_**Speaking of polls however, I still have that poll regarding the fic showing Fai's life with Masooma and Nixon in Celes up on my profile. Leave a vote there on whether you want me to write it or not. ;)**_

_**Btw people I have decided that apart from my 400**__**th**__** reviewer one other lucky reviewer will get to have a sneak peak at the fluffy chapter before I actually put it up since my bunnies decided to be difficult and came up with so much stuff the fluff required an entire chapter dedicated to it. So instead of the next chapter, the fluff is in the chapter after that. Which is why I have decided to let one random reviewer after 400 enjoy parts of it as well. ;)**_


	47. Before the Storm II

_**A/N: I'm sitting in front of my laptop thinking of words to say but I can't even come up with much to say to be honest. My paternal grandfather passed away this past Saturday and I honestly can't seem to bring myself to do anything at all. I've tried really hard to get motivated to do **_**something**_** – be it write, work on my project, draw anything really- but with no success whatsoever. So now pretty much everything has been put on halt but I suppose you guys got lucky that I had a couple of chapters for Broken already typed out for a week or so. So yeah… here's an update.**_

Finding the Oracle and the Healer had not been as hard as Kurogane had initially thought for he saw them both climbing down the stairs towards the Oracle's former bedroom- Kurogane suspected the blind man to have permanently changed his rooms or something, considering how he never went back for any of his belongings or anything else. He wondered briefly why they were heading that way before realizing that the Oracle must have seen Fai waking up and gone to fetch the witch to save time. Knowing they'd both be there by the time Kurogane got back, Kurogane turned around a corner and tried sensing where the kid might have wandered off to.

He found the brunette staring at a pair of children playing near the marketplace with a small, melancholic smile on his face. He did a double-take, though. The kid didn't look anything like the kid. Or, well, he looked like the kid, only not the kid he was used to seeing. He looked older now, like he had aged several years in the span of one night. Not metaphorically-speaking, but literally aged several years. He looked to be almost Kurogane's age now.

"Kid?" he called out, wondering if maybe he was sensing this world's version of the kid instead of the one he was looking for.

"Kurogane-san," The brunette turned around to greet him and the doubt vanished from his mind.

"What the heck happened to you?" he blurted out, "you look older."

"I'm not really sure," the amber-eyed man, not kid, responded with a frown. "Something has been happening to me ever since I came back to Magihidusi."

"Why didn't you say anything?"

"With everything else going on, my problem didn't seem all that important." The kid, who had grown into a man, shrugged, "everyone was worried about Fai-san and Tsubasa. Besides, whatever has been happening, I think it's good. I can touch things for a little while if I try really hard."

"As opposed to you passing through things…"

"Yes. I wasn't really able to control it at first but it has gotten easier. I've been practicing for a few hours now."

"That's good to know," the ninja nodded. "Maybe we can ask the Oracle about that."

"Did you want something?"

"Hmm? Oh yeah, the mage is awake, the princess told me to get you."

-0-

Nixon tried not to pay any special attention to the witch walking only a few feet behind him. From the way she had acted back in Syaoran's room, she definitely was in no mood for talking to him, which was good considering he had somehow made a habit out of hurting her with every word that came out of his mouth. Kurogane was somewhere near the marketplace, talking to Syaoran's father, but they would not be long. He had been actively avoiding the ninja and Masooma what with being able to _see_ where they were long before they could actually see him. But despite staying away from the dimension travelers and the Guardian of Magihidusi, he had still been keeping track of Fai's condition from a distance, so he had been the first person to know when the magician had regained consciousness.

He had still waited for quite a while before leaving the safety of his new living quarters to get the witch. He had not only been avoiding her for the past few days, but he had been actively steering clear of the ninja as well. It was a good thing the red-eyed man had been rather preoccupied what with worrying about the blond magician and his half-paralyzed student along with juggling some time to look after the princess. In what few respites the man had gotten, he had tried to search for the Oracle, but Nixon had been able to sense him coming from quite a distance and managed to get away in time. It had been rather unnerving to discover that the ninja had somehow acquired the ability to sense auras like he could. Obviously his range wasn't quite as large as Nixon's and neither was Kurogane as proficient at using that ability yet, but it was still rather surprising to see the man take it all in stride and just adjust to the changes.

He had struggled with his 'vision' for a long time when he had gone blind in Celes, having to learn to tell inanimate objects from the living ones. In a magical castle suspended thousands of feet above the ground, navigating one's way by relying solely on magical auras was a big task seeing as how all magical creatures, beings and objects emitted auras. Anything that was spelled also carried an aura. If things had been simply restricted to sensing magic in the environment and adjusting oneself accordingly, blindness might not have mattered _that_ much. But as it was, the real problem was posed by the non-magical items, people, objects and creatures included. He had spent more than three months crashing into random walls as he had tried to learn to tell the difference between a non-magical barrier and simple air.

The dark-skinned warrior, on the other hand, seemed already used to the idea of _seeing_ things without really seeing them. Nixon had put off casting away his emotions after that one outburst down in the catacombs after Kurogane had interrupted his first attempt. He decided he would try again once Fai was awake and talking. The essence obviously did not want Nixon to use that spell and it had been a mistake on his part to try it somewhere so close to the chambers where the energy resided. The next try, for he knew he was going to try again once Fai was awake and Masooma had reconciled with the blond, would definitely take place away from the city where the essence wouldn't be able to interfere in any way or form. But that issue had to wait until he knew for certain that Fai was alright.

He could feel the princess's gentle aura in the room ahead, right next to the magician's, but there was a remarkable difference between the two and not just in terms of the color. Sakura's mix of pink and soft golds was serene and calm, contained in her small frame, moving to and fro around the edges like the waves of an ocean lapping at the shore. There was a tint of melancholy and a touch of pain topped with worry and anxiousness, but it was still rather soothing to look at.

Fai's aura was the complete opposite. The usual cerulean tones had darkened to a turbulent shade of blue, moving within his body in an agitating manner, streaked in places with a black that serrated through everything, twisting and turning, mutilating what was within. Unsurety, fear, anxiousness… it was almost painful to see the amount of negative emotions radiating from the blond, though given everything he had been through, it was still something of a relief to see that at least there _was_ something there instead of that terrifying void that Nixon had been forced to look at when Fai had died.

He had been frowning as he had led the way up to his previous room, but it deepened automatically as he heard the echoes of a whisper inside his head travelling through the frayed blue thread that connected him to the blond magician. A shudder travelled down his spine at the raw fear and panic he was suddenly exposed to and he had to cut off his connection with Fai completely to maintain a semblance of control over himself. He had seen what captivity had done to Syaoran and it appeared as though the same had happened with the blond. But he still harbored a hope that maybe it only appeared to be worse than it actually was. After all, Fai had only just woken up.

Stopping outside the wooden door, he knocked on it a couple of times before pushing it open and stepping inside the room, Masooma walking over the threshold only a few steps behind.

"Nixon-san! Masooma-san!" the princess turned around to greet them.

"Fai…" Masooma murmured the blonde's name as she walked past him and a wave of emotions crashed over Nixon. Berating himself, the Oracle snapped the connection he had with the witch before nodding at Sakura politely as he returned her greeting. The princess seemed a little too preoccupied to notice anything amiss between the two newcomers, but Nixon was sure that the ninja would be able to pick up on the subtle hints even if his primary concern for the time being would be Fai.

"How is he doing?" he asked softly after beckoning the girl over to him, leaving Masooma to greet Fai in peace. He still wasn't sure what he wanted to say to the blond and figured he might as well give those two some privacy, leaving it up to the magician to acknowledge his presence. A familiar pain twanged inside his chest but it was easily pushed aside as he focused his attention on the princess. Fai was awake now, there was no room for his own feelings anymore. In fact… he might be in for hell once Fai found out just what it was that he had done behind his back.

"He's very jumpy and agitated, but that is to be expected." The princess said softly as he heard Fai say something to Masooma in the background. "He is not… he's doing much better than Syaoran, at any rate. I think the trauma of having _that_ done to him might have caused him to forget what happened right before we found him, which helps a little."

"Syaoran is getting much better as well," he offered, hoping to lessen some of the pain the girl was feeling, although judging from the hurt that tinged her aura, it wasn't much. "It might still be a few days before he's anywhere near ready to see you or Kurogane though, I'm afraid… but you should discuss that with Masooma later."He added with a small smile just as he felt a shift in the atmosphere right before Fai spoke up.

"Are you going to keep on ignoring me for the rest of the day?" He could almost picture that particular grin of Fai's as the blond approached him.

"Of course not," he mirrored the other's smile with next to no effort at all, "I just figured I should give you some alone time with your lady love before interrupting your sweet little reunion."

Slipping back into the old routine he had developed with the blond came easier to him than he would have imagined a few days back. Perhaps it was just a desperate attempt of trying to make things go back to the way they were before or maybe it was just that neither wanted the other to really know what was going on in their minds that they both refused to call the other on their façade. Either way, even though Nixon knew that Fai could tell there was something he was hiding just as Fai would have known that Nixon knew what the blond was feeling right that moment, they both played along in this game of hide-your-thoughts like seasoned players. They had done so for so long it came to them as naturally as breathing.

"Fai-san!" They were both spared from having to say anything more by the timely arrival of Kurogane and Syaoran, "you're awake."

"I am." The blond chuckled softly, "and you are apparently much older than I remember seeing you last. How many years was I out for?"

Even though the Oracle could not see it, he could still sense the changes that had been made to the spirit's physique. It appeared as though the Essence had already restored the brunette to his original age.

"Umm… only three days, actually." The boy- no, he was a man now- replied a little uncomfortably and Nixon was struck by the shock and awe the princess felt at the brunette's new look rolling off her body in waves. He had to internally groan and fortify his mind against such emotions. He hated not knowing what other people were feeling, what with his handicap of being unable to decipher it from their facial expressions, but sometimes his sixth sense turned out to be a bit of a curse as well. Especially when his own mind was in a state where it became a little difficult for him to keep himself from being affected by the emotions that were not his own.

The ninja seemed a little surprised by Fai's behavior and Nixon safely deduced that the man had acted in a much different manner upon waking up. But unlike the princess passing it off as anxiety and confusion upon waking up in unfamiliar surroundings, this man was conscious of there being something lurking just beneath the surface. A whisper of a murmur echoed inside his head and Nixon played witness to some of the panic Fai was feeling right at that moment by the shift in his aura.

"You've grown quite a lot in just three days," the blond remarked in a lighthearted tone.

"It's good to see that you are doing well, Fai-san." Syaoran was probably smiling at the man but even he seemed to have picked up on the fact that not all was right with the magician. But he must have seen something to decide not to call the blond out on his bluff, though even the princess's aura hinted at her realization of something wrong. He purposefully refused to see just what Masooma was making of it all, if only to keep himself distanced from the witch as much as possible. It was hard, though.

"How did I get back to Magihidusi? And… how long was I gone for?" Fai's tone grew a little serious and… there was a hint of anxiety in there somewhere too. "How did you even _find _me?"

"Kurogane-san, Nixon-san and I broke into the Complex to get to you." The princess offered with only a hint of a smile.

"Nixon?" Fai immediately latched onto the very thing Nixon had been hoping he would ignore."But you're a Guardian. Guardians can't just- How did you… I'm confused."

"It never really took a lot to confuse you back at Celes either, did it, Fai?" the Oracle smirked, trying to stall for time, wondering how to inform the blond of the broken promise. Masooma was the only guardian now. He had failed at protecting her. Luckily the witch in question came to his rescue.

"We made a wish that let him leave Magihidusi with Sakura and Kurogane." The woman said and Nixon was glad to note that no one tried to correct her by stating how _she_ had been the only one to have made that wish. "His Oracle-ness managed to use his powers for something useful this time around and somehow located you right before things got ugly. I'm still a little surprised by that bit. As far as I recall, Nixon had always had a bit of a problem when it came to focusing his attention on a particular task long enough to accomplish it."

"But aren't you glad I _did_ manage to focus long enough to get our favorite High Mage out in time?" Nixon quipped without missing a heartbeat. It was obvious she did not want Fai to think anything had changed between them and even though it hurt to know, he'd be damned if he would be the one to break that illusion. He had already lost her friendship, he did not want to lose Fai's as well, because if that were to happen, he'd be truly alone.

"How long was I there? What happened while I was gone?" Fai asked in quick succession.

"Three months and four days." Masooma supplied solemnly. Nixon was quite sure she would have been able to recount the time down to the exact second that Fai had been in the Complex, but it was obvious why she stopped at the days.

"Three months…"Fai murmured weakly and Nixon heard another faint whisper inside his head, though it was impossible to make out the words being said. The next minute, however, Fai had given voice to that very whisper. "If I didn't know any better, I would have thought you didn't want me back at all." He sounded a little bitter but then his aura flashed brightly in alarm and fear, Nixon's own expression unknowingly mimicking his panicked look for a moment.

"Stop being an idiot," Kurogane said gruffly, "if we had wanted for you to die, we wouldn't have brought you back."

"Why would you even _say_ something like that?" Masooma said at the same time.

"We tried our best to get you back as soon as we could, Fai-san." Sakura promised earnestly. "If there had been a way to get to you before, we would have done it."

"We did send ahead a messenger to remind you we were coming, didn't we?" Nixon pointed out, referring to having sent Syaoran there to help Fai cope with everything. "But enough about that, how are you feeling?" He decided it would be best for all involved to just change the topic, but he only belatedly realized that he had not really done anyone any favors by choosing that question as the direction in which to head the conversation.

"How am I- I'm fine." There was a blatant lie if there ever was one. "Speaking of fine, though, how is Tsubasa-kun doing? I see he isn't here. Did you leave him back in Clow?"Apparently, even in the middle of a mild panic-attack, the blond was much better at redirecting conversation than he was. But then again, Nixon had never claimed he was good at doing that. He always had a tendency to get defensive and lash out at the person questioning him if he felt himself backed into a corner.

As he thought about this little difference between himself and the blond, something smashed into him with the force of a speeding boulder, leaving him gasping for breath as he slid to the floor, his world going white for a fraction of a second as alternative waves of heat and cold raced down his spine. He could hear the others calling his name but he was far too stunned by the sudden vision to actually answer anyone.

"Nixon?" That was Masooma calling out his name. An image of the witch, lying panting on the ground, clutching at a bleeding wound in her side materialized inside his head as a woman stood over Masooma with the witch's staff pointed threateningly at her throat while Masooma looked at her cold, unforgiving eyes with defiance shining bright in her gaze. The image changed and he was standing before the glowing form of the Shaman in an otherwise dark cavern. The image changed again and he witnessed a burning Magihidusi, the pyramid they all currently stood in razed to the ground with dead bodies littering the streets, bleeding and burning.

"Oi!" Someone slapped him and he was plunged back into the world of perpetual darkness just as the vision ended, "Oracle, snap out of it."

"I-I… I've got to go." Before anyone could stop him, Nixon was on his feet and tearing down the hallways with his heart pounding inside his ribcage as panic threatened to overwhelm him. He had screwed up… and it was going to cost not just himself but every single person that had trusted him with their lives.

_**A/N: It ends on a cliffhanger I know. But it also foreshadows what is to come. A storm looms right beyond the horizon. Dun dun dun! *sighs* I seriously hope I'll be able to wrap this up somewhere before the sixtieth chapter. Oh btw, the 418**__**th**__** reviewer gets to have a sneak peak at the fluffy bits before everyone else.**_


	48. Belated Realizations

_**A/N: This is the longest chapter yet! I'm rather disappointed to see the response the last one received and it makes me wonder if you guys are getting bored with this story for some reason? I only have one more month left till graduation and I am spending my time trying to figure out where to go from here. *sighs* I honestly can't decide on what to do. But I suppose it will come to me in time. Btw, I hope you enjoy the fluffy bits, another glimpse at the past and everything else in here. ^_^; **_

_**Enjoy~**_

"What the heck was that all about?" Kurogane questioned as he turned to look at Masooma for an explanation. The witch frowned in response, wracking her brain and trying to recall when she had witnessed an expression of terror as great as that before.

"He just… He must have had another vision." She finally answered, remembering how she had seen him go white as a sheet in Celes a few months before Fai and Nixon had conspired to work together and make her leave with the Oracle for her own safety. That time, the blind man had seen the monster plaguing the icy kingdom claim Masooma as one of its victims. What could he have seen now? "I'll go see what-"

"No," the ninja cut in before she could even finish the sentence, "_I_ will go see what happened. You stick around with the mage." Did the man just smirk at her as he said that? "I can see you have been dying to get him alone from the way you've been looking at him." His smirk took on a teasing edge and all thoughts of Nixon and his vision fled from her mind as she started sputtering indignantly. But the ninja was gone before her protests could be heard properly.

"Umm…" Syaoran piped up only a couple of seconds later, "I think I will go check on Tsubasa."

"I just remembered there was something I had to talk to Syaoran-san about." Sakura, too, offered a flimsy excuse as she hurried out the door with a small smile directed towards Masooma and Fai.

"Now that's called subtlety." Fai laughed a little shakily as he walked over to the bed and sat down.

"Don't be mean," Masooma admonished with a laugh as she too turned around and walked over to the blond, though she took care not to sit right beside him. Even if he claimed that he was perfectly fine, Masooma could still recall how she had shied from touch and people stepping inside her personal bubble the first few days after her rescue from the Complex. Given she _had_ been brought to a completely alien world after having been tortured and abused constantly for almost a fortnight, but still… She perched delicately on the edge of the bed, almost a couple of feet away.

"So…" Fai started awkwardly, "How have you been?"

"Honestly speaking?" she quirked a brow, looking over at him, "I have no idea… I think I have felt every negative emotion there is to feel in these past few months. I have been everything from devastated to scared shitless to depressed to almost suicidal…"

"Suicidal?" Fai repeated sharply.

"Um… yeah… well not exactly like I-want-to-kill-myself suicidal…" she replied with a sheepish grin, scratching the back of her head. If Fai had enough energy to grow angry at her, he was going to be okay. "It was more like… well it's hard to explain…"

"You did something stupid." The blond heaved a sigh.

"If you count heading to the surface alone and then confronting Bauld and kicking his ass to the next century as stupid," she replied a tone of forced casualness, "then yes, I did something stupid."

"You… _what?_" Masooma couldn't quite describe the feeling she got as he nearly yelled at her but the faint fluttering inside her stomach could only be something akin to relief and maybe happiness, too. "You have any idea how stupid that was? You went to the surface alone! And on top of that you… you…" he sputtered and Masooma was somehow transported back to the time when she was bedridden in Celes after having recklessly tried out a spell that was far above her skill level simply because she had wanted to prove a point.

"_Do you have any idea how stupid that stunt you pulled was?"Fai was pacing around on the rug in her room, a frown marring his handsome features as he paused in his tracks to turn around and face her. "How many times do I have to tell you? You don't have enough magic to sustain a spell of that level. But the minute I turn my back on you, you go on ahead and do it anyways."_

"_Reika said I did not deserve my apprenticeship," she pointed out, stubbornly crossing her arms across her chest, refusing to be intimidated by the glare her master was sending her way, "or my title of a B-level mage."_

"_So you picked a spell that was _far_ above your current level and decided that magically exhausting yourself to near-death would be enough to convince her of your worthiness?" Fai was livid as he towered over her and suddenly Masooma felt very small in comparison. "I can't believe Ashura-ou forced me to take on such an immature apprentice."_

"_I am _not_ immature." She struggled to keep her tears at bay. What if her stupidity caused her to lose her apprenticeship? What would she do then? _

"_Not immature?" Fai scoffed, "You nearly killed yourself! As if I didn't have enough on my plate worrying about the upcoming tasks for Oraclehood," he said, throwing up his hands in the air in exasperation as he resumed his pacing, "I have to look after a _child_ who doesn't understand the consequences of trying out dangerous magic without supervision, too."_

"_I'm not a child… I'm eighteen years old." Her vision was turning blurry with unshed tears as she looked at the livid mage. Fai was usually very laidback and easy going, so his anger was something she was witnessing for the first time. She had pulled stupid stunts before in the two years she had been studying under him, but it was just a testament to how far she had pushed him this time for him to explode at her like that._

"_Still a child, by our standards," Fai pointed out viciously and it took everything she had not to start blubbering like a little girl right there. Still a sob escaped her lips as she felt tears of shame stream down her face, "even Nixon-kun is more mature than you and that is saying something. He at least has the sense to acknowledge when something is beyond him. I don't know why I still keep you around…"_

"_I'm sorry…" she uselessly tried to wipe at her wet cheeks with the back of her hands though the tears kept on coming. This was it. He was going to kick her out. "I'll leave as soon as I am well enough to travel."_

"_What?" Fai paused in his pacing to look at her but Masooma was too busy trying to staunch her tears to notice the look of surprise on his face. _

"_I have disgraced you, so you are going to th-throw me out."She replied with a small hiccup, "Just let me stay until I can regain a bit of my strength a-and I will be out of your hair, I pr-promise. I-I'm sorry to have disappointed yo-you, Master Fai." She sniffled, angrily pushing her hair out of her face as she looked at him for a brief moment before lowering her gaze. _

"_I'm not going to kick you out, Masooma-chan." Fai heaved a sigh and Masooma's head snapped back up so fast, her jaws snapped together rather painfully._

"_You're n-not?" she repeated in disbelief._

"_No. I'm not." The blond shook his head as he approached her bed and gracefully sat down on the edge of it._

"_B-But I… I broke the rules you ha-had laid in place and I nearly k-killed myself." She tried wiping her eyes again and the skin around her eyes began to burn from the constant rubbing. She knew it must have turned puffy and red by then. _

"_You did." Her master agreed, "However, it does not warrant a termination of your apprenticeship. But," he continued sternly, "the next time I find you doing something this reckless, I will not be so lenient with you."_

"_Oh, thank you, Master Fai." She cried happily, throwing her arms around the man in a crushing hug before realizing her mistake as she hastily let go and scooted away from him with an embarrassed blush on her face. "So-sorry…I promise you won't have any more reasons to complain about me. I'll be sure not to do anything stupid like that ever again."_

"_See to it that you don't." Fai nodded as he climbed back to his feet, and moved towards the exit of her room. "It would be a pity to have a promising mage thrown out just because they couldn't follow the rules."_

"You could have been killed!" Fai's angry words made her smile as she shook her head to tear herself away from that memory.

"But I didn't get killed, Fai." She grinned, causing the blond to pause in the midst of his rant to look at her inquiringly.

"What are you grinning at?" he asked cautiously, no doubt worrying for her sanity.

"Nothing." She shook her head, unable to wipe the grin completely, "I just remembered how you had yelled at me in Celes when I performed that transportation spell at Reika's taunting."

"Nearly killed yourself even then." He sighed, shaking his head.

"And you had yelled at me back then, too." She smiled widely and just a little toothily, "You even used the same wording."

"I did?" he looked at her in surprise.

"Uh huh. '_Do you have any idea how stupid that was?'"_She nodded, doing a poor imitation of his voice as she quoted his words. "I had been so scared you were going to kick me out."

"I was actually more worried about what I would have told your family in case you had died."

"You could have had a little more faith in your apprentice." Masooma looked away with a small pout. "I _did,_ after all, beat your unbeatable test at the age of sixteen."

"Only because you cheated." Fai countered.

"I did _not_. You never specified anything about acquiring help from another magician."

"Because it was obvious you had to complete the tasks on your own."

"I can't believe you're still sore about me finding a loophole in your rules."

"I am _not_ sore." Fai huffed as he turned away, his dirty hair falling right into his face at the motion.

-0-

Fai felt a little lighter since the voice had not spoken to him even once since Kurogane and the others had left. It had been difficult to keep the others from noticing his panic at the voice being discovered but lucky for him, no one seemed to have caught on so far. He was glad it had vanished completely by now, though. Maybe the voice had just been just a figment of his imagination and nothing else.

"I could really use a bath." Fai half-laughed as he pushed his rusty brown bangs out of his face and realized for the first time that he had not had a chance to clean himself up in what had to have been months now.

"I'll draw you up one." Masooma offered in a heartbeat as she almost jumped off the bed in her haste and vanished through one of the doors adjoined to the room. The mood shifted from lighthearted and cheerful to something else in less than a heartbeat.

Fai felt her familiar aura flare up in the next room before the sound of gurgling water reached his ears. Gingerly he climbed to his feet and made his way over to the bathroom

"It's almost done," Masooma said as she turned around, avoiding eye contact with him as she walked towards the doorway just as he stepped inside the bathroom. "I'll just go for now." As soon as she said that, panic welled up inside his chest. What if being left to his own devices meant the voice came back? A part of him, it appeared, did not believe the voice to be just his imagination.

"No, please," his hand automatically snagged her sleeve as she walked by him, causing her to turn around, "stay for a while. I… just don't want to be alone right now."

Some of his desperation must have leaked into his tone because she actually looked shocked at hearing his request, though she nodded only a second later. "Okay."

"Okay." He nodded back, her sleeve slipping through his fingers as he turned away feeling somewhat irritated at himself. If he kept this up, she would soon realize something was amiss and then they would find the voice…Fai watched as Masooma moved to sit down by the bathtub, her back turned towards him in an attempt to give him some semblance of privacy.

Without another word, fearing that he might say something to doom himself and clue her in to the voice, Fai carefully stripped off his clothes before slipping into the tub. The warm water sloshed around his body as he sank into it, the heat comforting him enough to cause him to relax a little more. He dunked his head under the water before pulling out again, feeling rather conscious of the witch sitting only a couple of feet away from him. The old Fai would have teased her mercilessly about being shy because of the way she had firmly kept her back directed towards him. He wondered if she was thinking that too.

Would she realize he was trying to keep something from them all if he refused to say anything at all? He looked down at the water that was slowly turning murky as the grime and blood washed off his body and dissolved into the soapy liquid. He reached over the rim of the tub and picked up a bathing sponge, dipping it into the water a couple of times before using it to scrub his arms. Once done, he used it to wash his chest and his neck, pushing his dirty blond hair out of the way from where it clung to his skin in wet, rope-like strands. The hair left dirty streaks across his otherwise pale flesh and he used the sponge to clean them up again. All this time, he was very much aware of the witch sitting only a couple of feet away from him.

She would definitely think something was out of place if he did not say anything regarding the current situation.

"I didn't think you would be so shy after everything we have been through, Masooma-_chan_," he blurted out in a teasing manner before he could tell his brain to shut up.

"I was merely giving you a bit of privacy, Fai-_san._" Her bristling tones only made him grin in response.

"Why, Masooma-chan, that's so sweet of you." He said lightly, dipping the sponge into the water before bringing it to his arms again. "But I can tell you're only keeping your back to me because you're feeling rather shy."

"Shy my ass." The witch snorted, though she stubbornly kept her back to him, causing Fai to grin even wider.

"And what a nice ass it is." He added an appreciative whistle at the end.

"If you know what's good for your health, Fai-san," she replied a little stiffly and Fai had to stifle a laugh, "you will keep my _nice _ass out of this conversation."

"Are you threatening me with bodily harm, Masooma-chan?" He said innocently, "why, one would think you would be waiting on me hand and foot because of the way I have been injured recently, and yet here you are, doing the exact opposite."

"Why Fai-san," Masooma finally turned around to look at him with a challenging glint in her eyes, a small smile threatening to break out on her own lips as she met his gaze, "would you like for me to wash your back for you instead?"

Fai froze at her words, images flashing through his head in quick succession as his breathing hitched. Voices, pictures and sensations coursed through him at such a rate that he completely blanked out.

"…ai, I'm sorry. I didn't mean anything by it. It was just a joke. Please, Fai, I'm…"Masooma's panicked voice cut through the noise briefly, "… come on, Fai. Snap out of it!"

"Masooma?" he croaked weakly.

"Oh, thank heavens…" the witch sighed in relief as she slumped back onto the ground. The stinging sensation on his cheeks told him that she must have hit him a couple of times to get him to respond to her.

"What happened?" he questioned shakily.

"I said something stupid and it caused you to…" She shook her head regretfully, "I'm sorry. I should just leave you alone for now." She made to stand up.

"No!" Fai nearly leapt out of the tub in a blind panic as he latched onto her hand once more. "Stay."

"Are you sure?"she asked hesitantly.

"Yes, please, I'm…" he took in a deep breath, letting go of her fingers, "I can't really be alone right now."

"Okay, I'll stay."

"Thank you." He said gratefully as he sank back into the water, the murky liquid sloshing around inside the tub with his movements as he started searching for the sponge he had dropped. His fingers closed around it a couple of seconds later and he looked back up to see Masooma watching him silently, though she did not hold his gaze for more than half a minute before she turned her head and began staring at the etching on the wall rather intently.

Dipping the sponge into the water once more even though it was sufficiently wet and soapy, Fai tried to reach over his shoulder to clean his back, only to drop it back in the water with a pained 'ah' as jolts of burning electricity shot through his chest. It almost felt like something had ripped apart his insides and now, moving his body at certain angles pulled at the wounded flesh even though the external damage was no longer visible.

"What's wrong?"Masooma's head whipped back in his direction as her eyes hurriedly examined him for some sort of damage.

"It seems like you might have to wash my back for me after all." He replied with a lopsided smile, although there was no humor behind the action.

"Huh?"

"My chest hurts when I try to reach my back." He explained.

"Oh…Um… Are you sure?" she asked, patiently waiting for his response.

"Please." was all he said in response as he drew his knees to his chest and wrapped his arms around them.

Masooma nodded, wordlessly picking up a spare sponge from the nearby table that held a bottle of soapy liquid, a pair of scissors, a comb and a few other washing fluids before coming over to stand behind his back. Reaching out with soft hands, she carefully gathered his waist-length hair and pushed it over his shoulder before gingerly touching his back with the sponge as though waiting for him to draw away from her touch or tell her to stop.

Fai did no such thing, and though neither of them said another word, once she was done washing his back, she pulled his hair back and began washing it for him as well.

"You should just wash your legs and um…I'll go get you some fresh clothes, alright?" she told him, wiping the soapy water from her hands after she handed him the sponge she had been using as she stood up. "We can trim your hair once you have changed, if you want. The towel is on the table, alright?" and then she was gone through the door. He could hear her rummaging through stuff right outside the door and Fai forced himself to relax. He wasn't alone yet. She was just a yell away. Letting this piece of information relax him a little, Fai hurriedly finished washing up before snagging the towel from the table and wrapping it around his waist as he climbed out of the tub.

Water dripped down his legs and formed a small puddle at his feet just as Masooma stepped back inside with his clothes. Fai froze, held in place by her smoldering gaze as she too paused over the threshold.

"Fai…" it was all the warning he got before her eyes teared up and she closed the distance between them. They stared at each other for what felt like ages. Fai wasn't sure who it was that had instigated the kiss, but he knew he was returning it with vigor. She had dropped his clothes near the doorway, a small part of his brain realized as she wrapped her arms around his neck. The sensation of her fingers tangled in the hair at the base of his neck made him go cold all over as distant whispers echoed inside his head.

'_You know you like it.'_ He stiffened in her embrace, trying to push her away, but not having much success in the matter as she refused to let him go. He tasted salt on his lips and it was then that he realized that she was openly crying even though she was kissing him like the world might end the very next second. Her fingers moved from the spot on his neck to somewhere at the junction of his shoulders and his neck and a spark travelled through his entire body causing him to shudder in a pleasant manner. The whispers vanished completely.

Unlike the cold fingers scratching at every bit of his skin, her touch felt feather-light and impossibly warm, nothing like the phantom strokes he could feel all over his body ever since he woke up, whenever_ she _spoke. Without even willing it, his body began to relax in her arms as she stepped closer to him. He could vaguely recall having done something similar for her once upon a lifetime, after she had spilled her darkest secret atop the pyramid roof.

She drew away from him for a brief moment to catch her breath, resting her head against his lowered forehead as they both stared at each other, panting and trying to regain some semblance of control over themselves, but it did not seem enough to either of them as their mouths crashed together only half a second later. Fai nibbled at her lower lip, Masooma parting them compliantly as their kiss grew heated. Unlike _her_ ghostly touch, Masooma's touch sent fire coursing through his veins as her fingers fluttered over his skin before tangling in his hair once more. His own hands traced the ridges of her spine through the thin material of her shirt, until he reached the hem of the cloth and pushed it out of the way to touch her bare flesh. She gasped softly, her breath fluttering across his lips before she dove in for another kiss.

Fai pulled her closer to him, wanting her touch to erase the feeling of those phantom strokes from his mind completely. As though sensing his unvoiced request, she untangled her fingers from his hair once more, fluttering across his back and slowly moving to his torso. Almost desperate and on the brink of completely breaking down, Fai took half a step backwards. Having completely forgotten about the puddle of water under his feet, he slipped. Because he had been holding on to her, he ended up pulling her along as he fell back into the tub of water.

They broke the surface of the water, sputtering and gasping for breath, both drenched completely or, in Fai's case, drenched completely once more.

"You have no idea how worried I was for you these past few months." She murmured softly, resting her head against his shoulder, her breath tickling the flesh of his neck as she nuzzled him. "But I would be lying if I said I had not been worried about you even before that… When you forced me to leave Celes, I was so afraid the beast would come after you instead. Nixon kept telling me to have more faith in you, but something told me you would not be able to kill the beast."

Fai remained silent, hearing her confession as he felt the weight of her legs in his lap. His very naked lap… his towel must have become undone sometime during their fall, but she did not seem to have realized that little piece of information yet. She continued talking, "I should have had more faith in you than that, though, shouldn't I? You're still alive and…"

"I didn't." he admitted, missing the warmth of her embrace she pulled away to look at him, the water sloshing around with her movements. Her wet hair clung to her face and her arms, spreading out around her in the water like strands of charcoal seaweed. Some of the strands brushed against his chest as he spoke, "I didn't kill him. There… there was no beast. It was Ashura-ou all along."

"What?" she laughed in disbelief.

"Remember that story about Ashura-ou having been fed the blood of a vampire?" he replied, not quite meeting her gaze, "it was true. He became insane for some reason, and then… he started killing people… but I couldn't kill him because I owed him my life. I couldn't…couldn't do it. In the end it was Kurogane who did it."

"Oh…" she said in a small voice as she tried to reposition herself a little. Her hand brushed his bare thigh and they both froze, her eyes growing wide in comprehension as his grew wide with a hint of fear, even if for the life of him he could not understand why he felt so afraid of her touch. He had been just fine with her sitting there. It was only when her hand swept against his thigh that he… "I should probably go and get changed into fresh clothes." She said hastily as she pushed herself away from him and climbed out of the tub. She bent down and picked up the fluffy white towel from the floor and placed it on the table with a furious blush across her face as she refused to look at him. "I'll come back and trim your hair in a few minutes, okay? You get dressed too." Placing a clean pair of pants and a button up shirt on the table from the place she had retrieved them on the floor, she hurried out the door, dripping hair and all.

Shaking his head and fighting off a small smile, Fai climbed out of the tub once again, reaching for the towel, but froze halfway there as cold fingers trailed down his back. '_You didn't forget about me just because that little witch kissed you, did you, Fai?'_

"Y-You're not real." He said shakily as he hurriedly tied the towel around his waist and snagged the shirt off the table, slipping his arms through the sleeves before grabbing the pants almost desperately. The towel slipped off in his haste to put them on, but he didn't really care much for anyone walking in on him as he changed. If he hurried, maybe he might be able to catch Masooma before she left.

'_Are you sure about that?'_ the woman purred slowly as something tugged on his hair while a pair of cold, wet lips nibbled at the shell of his ear. '_I wonder what dear Masooma will have to say about me being here.'_

"Shut up. You're not real." He said with more conviction as he felt another tug at his hair, this one a bit more forceful than the last.

'_How can you be sure, Fai? I can touch you, can't I? You can feel this,' _her cold fingers scraped across his scalp, '_and this,'_ they combed through his partially knotted hair, _'and this!'_ she tugged again at his hair, hard enough to make him stumble and fall. He hit his forehead across the pointed end of the table and the world spun around him for a moment as he felt blood blossom out from the cut and fall into his right eye, even as the wound itself healed almost instantaneously. '_I'm real if you can feel me, Fai.'_

"Then I will just have to make sure I can't." He grunted, snatching the pair of scissors off the table as he jumped to his feet.

-0-

Masooma ignored the looks she received from some of the people she met on her way to her room. She hurriedly pulled out a dry shirt and skirt. Changing into them, Masooma wrung out the water from her still dripping hair before pulling it back in a braid. She would comb and dry it properly later. Dumping her wet clothes in the hamper in the bathroom attached to her room, she almost raced back through the corridors to reach Fai's room. She called out his name as she knocked on the door once, wondering if he might still be changing on the other side. When she received no answer, she knocked a little louder. Frowning when she still did not get a response, she pushed the wooden door open and stepped inside.

"Fai?" Looking around the room, she saw that he wasn't there. A sense of dread settled in the pit of her stomach, but she tried to ignore it as she hurried across the room and stopped right outside the bathroom. She could hear him whispering on the other side and her heart clenched with unease. Pushing the feeling away, she cautiously stepped over the threshold and froze, the vice tightening almost painfully at the sight that met her eyes.

Shoulder trembling and slightly hunched, he stood with his back towards her, the material of shirt clinging to his body, almost see through from the wetness of his still dripping hair that hung like limp noodles at the back of his head.

"Fai?"She hesitantly called out the blond's name, hoping for some reason that the whispers and the trembling was nothing more than a figment of her imagination. "What are you doing?" she asked, hating the way her voice trembled as she took a step towards him but he ignored her. It was almost like he wasn't even aware of her presence as he reached up with a shaking hand and caught hold of a random lock of hair and brought it to the front of his face as she stepped around him to look at him. This close to him, she could see a streak of pinkish diluted blood smear halfway down his cheek though she could not see the injury that might have cause the bleeding in the first place.

Moving in a trance-like state, he brought up his other hand and snipped of the hair in his hand, the bundle of hair falling to the ground with a wet splat. Ignoring the burning sensation in her throat as her heart threatened to explode from the painful realization, she slowly reached for his shoulder. He jerked away with a start, the sharp edge of the scissors cutting a jagged gash across her hand as he drew back. Eyes wild and panicked, it almost took half a minute for realization to spark in his gaze as he looked at her. Tears clung to his face like glistening diamonds as he stared at her with trembling lips.

"Ma-Masooma?" he questioned in a broken whisper.

Eyes burning with nascent tears, she approached him slowly, taking great care not to startle him with any sudden motions as he stared at her. She ignored the burning sensation in her palm as she gently took his hand in her own, biting her lip to stop herself from crying openly when he flinched and pulled away. Ignoring the fear that danced across his face, she wordlessly pried the scissors from his fingers, forcing a smile in his direction.

"I'll give you a trim, okay?" she said thickly, struggling to hold back her tears. The pain in her injured hand was nothing compared to the painful clenching of her heart. "Come on." She said, holding out her uninjured hand for him to take, having to wait for almost two minutes as he decided on whether to trust her or not before taking her hand. She could feel it tremble within her grasp as she gently lead him to the bed and made him sit down. Hastily, pulling out a spare roll of bandages from the basket left there by Sakura the previous day, she wrapped the gauze around her hand, ignoring the fact that the wound would probably need stitching had she not known how to use magical heeling. For now though, she left it unhealed. She had heard his whispered mantra of 'I'll make sure I can't feel you anymore.' long before she had touched him but as he obeyed her commands like an obedient four year old and it only made the burning in her eyes strengthen. Whatever had happened in the short span of five minutes, it had caused him to change from the man he had been into this… it was like he was a completely different person now.

Fai had cut off parts of his hair to be so short it barely even reached his ears. She had never seen his hair this short. Even back in Celes when she had apprenticed with him, it had been longer than this. He had always liked his hair to be a little long but now… she raised the scissors and began trimming the rest of his hair, trying to retain some of its feathery, layered quality as she cut it. The silence stretched out between them, broken only by the sound of their breathing or the snip-snip of the scissors as she cut his hair or the dull splats of the wet strands falling to the floor. It was when she was just about finished that Fai finally spoke up, his voice somewhat calmer than it had been earlier.

"I cut if off because I could still feel her," he murmured, "But she's not real… so I cut it. Because if there is no hair to hold…" Masooma almost cried right then and there as he turned his head to look at her with a lost expression. He was no longer crying, but the spark of mischief that she had been so used to seeing in his gaze was no longer there. His eyes were almost empty, lifeless. "She can't be real… can she?"

"No," she replied instead, a few stubborn tears trailing down her cheeks anyways, "she can't."

Fai only nodded once before turning back to stare straight ahead, his fingers absently plucking a few golden hairs from his lap that he began playing with. "I knew she would go away if I cut it off." He told her and Masooma felt her heart shatter. In their desperation to find see that he was okay, they had all missed out on the indicators that pointed otherwise. They had all been wrong.

Fai was _not_ okay… and he wasn't going to be okay anytime soon…

_**A/N: I tried to keep it as believable as possible and I ended up rewriting the ending for this chapter at least two times before I was satisfied with what I had. It didn't really make sense for Fai to be completely okay after he woke up but I didn't want to just go ahead and jump into him not trusting anyone and shying away and freaking out the minute he woke up either. I find this to be a suitable enough compromise even though I'm sure half the readers would want to kill me for doing something like this and I would seriously be bashing my head against a wall a few chapters down the road when I can't figure out what to do with a Schizophrenic Fai… But anyhow, good news for people rooting for Tsubasa's recovery by the way. He'll soon be finding out the truth! Keep your fingers crossed since if the bunnies don't run wild, it's probably only one more chapter to go till we get there.**_

_**Okay, random questions.**_

_**Has anyone ever wondered what would happen if Fai D. Flourite were to meet Damon Salvatore and Katherine Pierce? Oh and the rest of the people too I suppose… How many readers of you watch 'The Vampire Diaries'? Or have read the books though I've only seen the show so I'm more interested in that. Would you like to read a crossover between TRC and TVD? ;) ;) (Yes, I'm asking because I'm already working on one even as I update this chapter.) **_

_**Answer these questions or yell at me for having Fai go crazy or for writing really long rants in my author's notes or for making you people wait for update or ask me to explain about anything you find confusing. Just click on the little blue button and drop by for a review~**_


	49. Between You and I

_**A/N: Hey everyone~ I'm back with another update. It's irritating but my bunnies are always more active when exams are near and well, since I'm such a major procrastinator, I sorta ended up writing a couple more chapters for Broken one of which my beta sent back to me last night. So yeah, here's something more for you to enjoy. ;) ;) **_

_**Nixon's vision is revealed in its entirety, something happens to Sakura and something surprising happens at the very end.**_

_**Oh yeah, btw according to my estimate, we've probably got like ten more chapters to go before this story is finished.**_

_**Now you can enjoy the update. Don't forget to leave a review. **_

"It's good to see Fai-san with the person he loves, isn't it?" Sakura murmured as she walked up behind Syaoran and stopped next to him. He was leaning against the stone railing on the terrace a little ways away from the corridor which led to Fai's room, apparently waiting for her, even though he had claimed to want to go see his son. The wind whipped around her hair as Sakura leaned against the railing. This, like several other levels of the pyramid, had terraces built into it for the inhabitants to come out and enjoy a little bit of breeze. Looking out at the city spread out below, it was amazing to see a civilization thriving in the heart of an underground cavern the way it did in Magihidusi.

_Makes you wish you were with someone too._ Syaoran whispered softly as he closed his eyes, the cool air caressing his skin like the feather-light touch of a lover.

"Do you miss her?" Sakura asked, tearing her gaze from the cityscape to look at the spirit.

_I'd give up almost anything to be with her again,_ he confessed.

"Me too…" she admitted, slowly tracing the familiar lines of his cheekbones and jaw with her eyes. Tsubasa would look just like that one day. Something stirred deep within her as he finally turned his head and looked at her. Amber met jade and her lower lip trembled as a wave of sadness washed over her. She was suddenly reminded of the way _he_ had looked at her last, with so much fear and loathing, daring her to take her own life to prove herself to him."But he hates me, Syaoran-san…"

_He doesn't know any better yet, Sakura-chan. _The stirring within her chest grew in intensity, spreading out from her heart, fluttering around like butterflies, bringing warmth with it wherever it went.

"He didn't believe me." She replied, looking away. It was too much for her to look at _those_ eyes on someone else's face. "When I told him I'd do anything to make him believe, do you know what he said to me?"

_Sakura-chan, he doesn't hate yo-_

"He told me to kill myself!" she couldn't help but yell in anger. She had not really meant to, not really, but it was just too much for her to bear. Hearing his voice, seeing those eyes, looking at his face, that longing, that smile… It was too much. Her stomach twisted and turned like a snake coiling and squeezing the life out if its prey as she crashed to her knees. Hugging herself, she squeezed her eyes to keep herself from crying. She had been crying far too much lately. The warmth spreading within her chest was almost like a raging fire now, but the painful throb in her heart and the roiling of her stomach made it hard for her to take notice of the unnatural heat. A strong gust of wind blew her hair into her face, carrying _his_ scent with it.

"If that isn't hatred, then what is?" she whispered, her voice barely audible even to her own ears, "And you know what makes it even worse?"She did not want to confess what she was about to tell him, but it was impossible for her to stop now. It was almost like a dam had burst and the raging torrents could not be kept at bay. "I was going to do it, too… but even that wouldn't have made him believe me. No matter what I do, he'll never believe me… he will look at me, but he will only see the face of the person who hurt him till he broke… He'll never love me again..."

_Sakura-chan, get a hold of yourself._ Strong arms wrapped around her shoulders before she was lifted off the ground. She whimpered as the burning became almost unbearable. What was happening to her? _His_ scent enveloped her as she was turned around and the world began to dissolve into a haze of colors, sounds and _that_ scent.

_-orry… I didn't mean to do that!_ She missed the warmth of his hands on her shoulders as he backed away from her, face flushed and hair even more tussled than usual.

"Syaoran…san?" she asked, feeling faint and weak in the knees. Her breath came in heavy pants, a tingling sensation sparked across her lips and the tips of her fingers felt alive with electricity, the sort she had only felt when she touched Tsubasa… What had just happened? Why was she feeling like this all of a sudden?

_I'm sorry Princess, I-I… I think I need to go._ He said, still backing away from her, panic and confusion flashing across his face. Perplexed, Sakura tried to figure out why he looked so alarmed when only half a second ago he had been hugging her. There was nothing wrong with that, so then why was he…

"Syaoran-san, what just happened?" she asked, bringing a hand to her surprisingly tender lips.

_I think I'm losing my mind. _His gaze drifted to her fingers for a fraction of a second before he whipped around and started hurrying away.

"Syaoran-san," she tried to reach for him, her body moving sluggishly as though wading through sand instead of open space. Her fingers curled around air as his form turned intangible and slipped right through her grasp. "Wait!" But he didn't stop and he didn't turn around. Feeling confused and a little hurt at his abrupt dismissal, she raced after him, thoughts rushing through her head as she tried to recall what had happened. She had blacked out and done something that caused him to panic like that. The tenderness of her lips gave her a vague idea of just what it was, but… that couldn't be right. There was no way, no way at all, that they could have…. Even if he shared the same soul and face as the boy she loved, they were different and she would have never let that distinction between them blur out enough for her to do something like _that._

But the lapse in her memories worried her. Sakura caught sight of her reflection in a shallow pool of water near the beginning of the marketplace and stumbled, almost falling flat on her face as she froze, forgetting all about pursuing the spirit as she backtracked to the pool of water and gaped at the image being reflected.

Eyes as green as hers, hair the same length and color as her own, a face that should have been a complete reflection of her own, stared back at her. Gingerly, she brought her hand to touch her own cheek and saw the reflection do the same, only… it wasn't her.

-0-

Syaoran could not believe what had just happened. He kissed her… he actually _kissed_ her! Although, truth be told, it had been her that instigated the kiss…but he kissed her back! She wasn't his Sakura, but he had kissed her back all the same. He had closed his eyes and it had felt like he had his wife back. But then realization had slammed into him like a ton of bricks and he had pulled away as though her touch had burnt him. The princess had looked at him in such a confused state, it reminded him of the time when his Sakura had lost all her memories and she had looked at him for the first time in the Hanshin Republic. Half of him had expected the princess to ask him the same question, but the words that came out of her lips had not been his princess's 'who are you?' but instead a dazed recitation of his name.

_I'm sorry, Princess, I-I… I need to go…_ he had told her, steadily backing away from her, trying to put as much distance between them as possible as her face started to morph into that of his wife. He blinked and it was his son's princess again.

"Syaoran-san, what just happened?" she had asked as she gingerly touched her lips. He had kissed them only a few seconds ago!

_I think I'm losing my mind_, was all he said as he tore his gaze away from her face as it once again morphed into that of his wife. She might have been the vessel housing his beloved Sakura's spirit, but she was _not_ his Sakura. He had to put some distance between them and figure out just what the heck had happened. How could they have done this? They both had someone they needed to go to, and that someone was not the person they had just kissed.

"Syaoran-san," she called for him and he felt her fingers graze the skin of his arm. Acting on instinct, his body turned intangible as he tore down the hallway, her faint words telling him to wait. He raced down winding corridors without even once thinking to pause for the princess, ducking here and there. He needed some time to think, cool off and work out why that had just happened. He ran into the bustling marketplace, not even bothering to pause or wait for people to give him a way to pass as his incorporeal form simply glided through their bodies, drawing yells of panic and surprise from people behind him. He did not stop, though, hoping to lose the princess in the crowd before heading someplace far off and quiet to think.

After nearly five minutes of running through people and stalls, he paused at the outer edge of the market, turning back to look at it. Sakura was nowhere in sight. Heaving a tiny sigh of relief, he looked around, realizing that he had come to a rather unfamiliar part of the city. Provided he had not been able to explore much of this place in the past four days he had been here, but this was one of the directions he had been thinking of exploring only hours before when his former mentor had come for him.

The market was set up near one of the tunnels that led out of Magihidusi, the cavern walls around the tunnel carved with runes drawn in intricate patterns and symbols. It was beautiful to look at and his inner archeologist was bursting to explore and decipher what each and every one of them meant. It helped that he had knowledge about the workings of magic thanks to his time spent as the heir of the Li clan. Tracing the pattern that appeared to be more or less like a waning moon hidden behind a cloud, he walked into the tunnel. He had to keep moving if he did not want the princess to find him. There would be time later on to explore and study these walls.

The spirit walked through a tunnel that was lit up with little globes of light at regular intervals until he came to a small opening in the tunnel that led to a dead end. The room-like ending was lit up with a larger version of the globes and the light emitting from it threw the intricate carvings etched onto the stones into sharp relief. Judging from their repetitive patterns and twisting spirals, Syaoran figured they were spells etched into the stone to keep unwanted people from finding the true entrance to the city, but he couldn't quite figure out how this place could have led to anywhere else. The spirit walked out of the tunnel and into the room, then realized with a start that the light inside the cavern had begun to dim. Turning on his heels, Syaoran came face to face with solid stone.

Reaching out with one hand, Syaoran made to touch the wall, the only source of light now available to him being the slowly-dying globe above his head. His fingers met the stone wall, which did not budge even when he pushed against it. Trying to keep himself from panicking, he concentrated on turning his body intangible before pushing through the wall one more time. His hand easily slid through and the opening to the tunnel replaced the wall. Drawing his hand back, Syaoran watched in fascination as stone took the place of the opening once more. Looking a little closer at the carvings, Syaoran concluded that the tunnel he had come through had not been the only opening to this dead end. Rather, all other entrances to this intersection were sealed off with magic and could only be unlocked with magic.

In order to test his theory, Syaoran once again turned his hand intangible before walking around the circumference of the room, watching in fascination as his hand slid through the wall in places, giving him glimpses of four branching tunnels.

"That's bullshit!" Syaoran almost jumped a foot into the air upon hearing the Oracle's snarl echo all around him. His hand was still halfway inside the fourth tunnel he had discovered and it seemed as though the blind man's voice was coming from the end of it. He heard the murmur of a voice speak in response to the Oracle's swearing, though it was too faint for him to be able to make out what was being said. Curiosity getting the better of him, Syaoran threw caution to the winds as he stepped through the tunnel and started walking towards the place where he had heard the Oracle speak from.

"-knew the consequences of her wish when she made it." He heard the voice of a young boy speak, though it was overlapped with that of a woman and had the under-tone of an old man mixed in. It was a strange to think anyone could sound that way, but that was what Syaoran would swear to hear as he drew closer and closer to wherever the Oracle was. "If the Guardian fails to protect the Essence, We have full claim to her, mind, body and soul."

"You leave her out of this!" Nixon growled like a wounded animal. "She is not the one at fault here."

"_She_ is the sole Guardian now." The amalgam of voices spoke.

"Then make me one too."

"We cannot do that anymore. You broke the agreement between us. Who is to say you will not do that again?"

"She made the wish on her own." A hint of desperation was creeping into the Oracle's tone and Syaoran wondered just who this other person was that he was talking to. "I did not ask for her to do it for me."

"Be that as it may," the amalgamation spoke, though the old man's voice grew in prominence as the child's voice grew fainter, "Our deal was broken. We do not think it is wise to trust someone that wanted out of the agreement."

"Why the hell can't you get it through that thick skull of yours? I. Did. Not. Break. The. Deal. I don't care about being free. Make me a guardian again, I don't give a damn. Just make sure _they_ can't get inside."

"We cannot do that."

"Don't you dare try to fucking pull your bullshit crap over me." The tunnel up ahead seemed alive with wild, pulsating magic, the air humming and crackling with the energy slowly gathering in the tiny enclosure and Syaoran paused, wondering briefly if revealing himself would be a smart idea when the Oracle was this agitated. Pressing himself into the shadows, Syaoran decided to stay hidden and only listen for now. "I _know_ you can easily hide this entire place and make it so that no one can find it. You're just a bastard who doesn't-" he was cut off mid-sentence before the sound of flesh being hit and then a body colliding with the wall and sliding to the ground met Syaoran's ears.

"Perhaps you have forgotten your place, mortal," the woman's voice rose above the cacophony of voices and an invisible shudder travelled down Syaoran's spine despite the sweet tones in which she spoke. There was something dangerous about this woman, whoever she was. "You are of no use to us anymore. It would not be wise for you to do something foolish that would leave the Guardian in an emotionally-weakened state."

"Do whatever you deem necessary." It was the old man speaking now, "Warn her or not, that is your choice, Oracle." The child said, "Do not forget what is at stake here." The woman said before all three voices spoke in unison once more. "If we have to step in to protect what was entrusted to you magicians, the Guardian that failed at the task shall be made an example of."

"The girl knew of the consequences when she wished for you to be free of our pact." The child said. "She knew what was at stake," the man added, "yet she foolishly took the risk all for the sake of the love of one man." The woman spoke, "If you truly wish to be able to help her," a moment passed and Syaoran held his breath, wondering what this entity was going to ask of the blind man, "you need to make her wish null and void."

"Y-You want me to…"

"That man is the cause of her weakness. Remove him from the equation and you can have what you ask of us." The woman, despite her sugar-coated voice, was the one that made Syaoran the most uncomfortable. "Do not think we are unaware of what you almost did in the catacombs. If we had not sent the demon-eyed man after you…" she left the sentence hanging in the air, the silence only broken with the electric crackling of the restless magic. "Think of it this way, Oracle," the child took up, "once he is no longer there, the girl can be yours." Syaoran's breath caught in his throat as realization sunk in the pit of his stomach like an iron anchor. "Together," the old man said gently, "you two can be a force to be reckoned with."

"You want me to… kill him?" Rage coiled like an angry python inside of him. How dare they… and how dare he…to Fai…that man had already been through so much…why would anyone want to-

"You bastards…" Nixon's hiss brought his racing thoughts to a crashing halt. "How dare you… How dare you even _think _to suggest something like that? You want me to _kill_ my own brother!"

"That man only had one brother, Oracle," the woman's voice took on an icy edge, "and that was never you."

"Get lost." Syaoran jumped at the sound of exploding stone as the Oracle snarled, magic buzzing angrily through the air. "Get out of my sight this instant!"

"You do not command us, mortal." The old man warned dangerously as ancient power seemed to travel through the very essence of the rocks around Syaoran, gathering in the general vicinity of the Oracle and the entity that Syaoran now suspected to be the much-hated Shaman. "Do not forget your place."

To the spirit's intense surprise, Nixon let out a laugh tinged with such insanity it sent chills racing through Syaoran's very bones just listening to it. Power at par with the ancient magic in the walls quickly began gathering, the stench of ozone filling the air as the two opposing magics collided and battled for dominance.

"What is it that you find so amusing?" the child questioned curiously.

"You immortal bastard," Nixon got out in between bouts of his psychotic chuckles, "You all think yourselves so high and mighty. But you forget," his laughter stopped and the temperature seemed to drop by several degrees, "immortality is not all that is required to become a god. You might have once commanded me but you do _not_ have power over me. If you are a Shaman, do not forget that I am the Oracle. I am not just your average, weak mortal. It was foolish of me to even think of asking you for help. Get lost before I do something you will regret."

The ancient magic retreated just as quickly as it had gathered around the entity.

"The Guardian is ours, mind, body and soul, the minute she fails at her task." The woman said chillingly.

"_If_ she fails at her task." Nixon retorted even more frigidly. "In my panicked state, I somehow seemed to have forgotten that I do not truly _need_ you to protect what is precious to me."

"We hope you are still this confidant once the hunters have come barging into this last haven your kind has." The old man was the one who spoke this time.

"If you are done with your ominous sermons, leave. I'm sure you have other helpless magicians to terrorize. I have some work I need to get back to, myself."

Syaoran dared to peek around the jutting rock he had been hiding behind just in time to see an androgynous, cloaked entity-presumably the Shaman-swing a sleeved arm towards the Oracle, who had his back turned towards the immortal creature.

_Nixon-san! Watch out!_ Syaoran cried out as a bolt of lightning shot towards the blind man, but his words were drowned out by the loud explosion that followed as the spell met its mark. Wild magic pulsed and crackled through the dusty air and Syaoran held his breath, unable to look away from the spot where no doubt now lay the charred, smoking body of the former Oracle.

To his immense surprise, however, as the dust settled, he found himself staring at the still-upright-and-expressionless body of the blind man.

"You must be getting weak if this is the best you have." The Oracle said without even bothering to look at the creature that had just tried to kill him. "Just because I called you here for assistance, don't underestimate the extent of my powers."

Wordlessly, the Shaman faded from Syaoran's view. Only a second later, Nixon collapsed on his knees, panting hard. "Damn that cowardly, manipulative bastard." The blind man cursed violently.

_Nixon-san? _The spirit took a hesitant step in his direction, wondering how the man would react to learning Syaoran had eavesdropped on his conversation.

"How much of that did you hear, Syaoran?"

_I heard enough. _He replied, trying to sound braver than he actually felt at the moment. Seeing the way this man had flipped through his emotions, Syaoran wondered what he would do to him now that he had heard something so private.

"I see." That was all the man said as he struggled to climb back on his feet.

_Are you going to kill me now?_

"Why would I do that?"

_I overheard your entire conversation._

"Killing you won't accomplish anything, Syaoran." Nixon shook his head, "besides, Fai would never forgive me if I hurt you or any of your friends."

_No one would ever know it was you who did it._ The brunette did not know why he was pointing out something that would lead to his own destruction, but maybe he wanted to test him and see if he truly could trust this man. True, he had gone and helped Fai, going so far as going inside the magician's head to 'wake him' using the Oracle's help, but he had been stuck and without any choices at that time.

"I'm not going to do anything to you, Syaoran." The raven-headed man shook his head before offering him a small smile.

_Even if I might go back and tell the others about what I heard?_

"You won't mention any of this to anyone, for the very same reason I won't hurt you." It was a statement that was designed to show his level of trust in the spirit. However, at the same time, it was also meant to warn the brunette of the consequences of going against what the blind man had just said and Syaoran-having trained to take the position as the head of the Li Clan-was well aware of this subtle game of thinly veiled threats and shows of trust.

_If that is the case,_ he crossed his arms carefully as he watched the man closely for any sudden movements, _just what vision did you have that drove you to seek out the Shaman when it's quite clear from your display you hate the thing?_

"Did you know I grew up with Masooma in a country to the far east of Celes?"

_What does that have anything to do with…_

"She applied to be an apprentice at the palace when it was announced that I would be going away to participate in the tournament that would decide the new Oracle." He spoke up again, a small, melancholic smile making its way to his lips as he gave up on trying to stand and simply slumped on the ground, "We were inseparable from the beginning. Our mothers used to say we were meant for each other. But then Celes happened and she fell in love with someone else and I never worked up the courage to tell her how I felt."

_You love her_. Syaoran breathed in realization.

"Always."* Nixon chuckled heartbrokenly, "But Fai is the one that makes her happy."

_Did you ever tell her?_

"It doesn't matter." He shook his head, making Syaoran wonder if maybe he had told the witch only to be rejected, "Fai is here to stay. I hate him for it. It's funny, but I also love him for the very same reason. He might not have thought of me as a brother, but…he's the closest thing I have to one."

Syaoran vaguely wondered why everyone seemed to think he was the perfect person to unload their feelings on. Did he give that much of a 'shrink' vibe to people? First the princess, and now the Oracle. Next thing he knew, Kurogane would be coming over and confessing his deepest, darkest secrets to him as well.

_Why did you try and make a deal with the Shaman?_

"The magic circle I used to get us out of the Complex and back here can be traced to the destination from the point of departure." Syaoran's breath caught in his throat as the implications of that single statement dawned on him. The hunters… if they could trace the circle… they would be coming to Magihidusi. The hunters were after the Essence. The Essence was hidden beneath the city. They hunted the magicians and this city was crawling with Magi. The Shaman's warnings made a lot more sense now that he knew what was coming. Masooma was a Guardian, but she was also the one working on fixing and healing his son. If she were to somehow perish…Tsubasa would… no! There had to be some way to prevent things from coming to that.

_You have powerful magic, too. Can't you just make the city undetectable?_ He asked almost desperately.

"That is beyond my powers…"

_But you told the Shaman you would-_

"That I would protect what I hold dear," the blind man interrupted. "and that is a promise I intend to keep."

_We should tell the others._

"No." he replied evenly, "Telling them now would only cause everyone here to panic."

_So are you going to leave them in the dark and let them die unprepared? You were really freaked out by whatever vision you had. If their coming is as bad as you saw…We have to tell them._

"The future is not set in stone." Nixon said in an almost frosty tone. "Go check up on your son and let me handle this. There is still time. I will let them know once I have done all that I can."

_But…_

"Trust me, Syaoran." The man looked him in the eye, despite sitting on the ground, "You should go and check on your son."

-0-

Thinking something to be really wrong with Tsubasa, Syaoran hurried through the tunnels back to the bustling marketplace. Just like before, he turned his form intangible and ghosted through the people, trying to reach his son's room as fast as he could. Tsubasa appeared to be peacefully asleep when he got there, however. Confused and wondering why the Oracle had insisted he be there at that very instant, Syaoran slowly approached his son's bedside, feeling the mattress dip under his weight as he sat down.

An invisible force tugged at his heart as he reached out to touch his son's sleeping face, gently brushing hair from his closed eyes. The tugging grew stronger the longer he looked at his face, until the force almost seemed to rip his heart out of his chest. The pain he felt almost caused him to blackout as he lurched forward. His world turned to black long before he actually hit his son's prone body.

He felt like he was sinking through sludge. Very warm sludge. But then, the thick, suffocating mass gave way to an open, airy space that was made of nothing but inky black. He could see crumbling islands with decrepit houses built on top of them floating all around him in this darkness. Trying to understand what had just happened, Syaoran tried to move towards the nearest island, finding his body moving through the space like he was swimming in water. There was no sound in this place. In fact, if it had not been for the little fires burning on those islands, he probably would not have had a source of light in here, either. Feeling rather unnerved by the oppressive silence, he tried to keep his breathing even as his feet finally touched the ground.

"_No! Please, I'm sorry!"_That was Tsubasa's voice.

_Tsubasa?_ Alarmed, he looked around for his son.

"_Sakura, stop!"_

The darkness that had surrounded him before began to fade away as his surroundings morphed and changed and Syaoran found himself standing in the middle of a very familiar-looking dungeon.

***Haha I totally ripped that one off of Snape. Honestly though when Snape said that to Dumbledore in the movie (and the novel) it almost brought me to tears.**

_**A/N: Yes, I did indeed do that. Despite several warnings from the readers to not make Sakura and Syaoran kiss, that still happened. There is a perfectly explanation for this and those who paid attention might already have figured it out. If not, don't worry, the revelation will come in about two to three chapters. Everyone rooting for Tsubasa remembering/discovering the truth, hold your breath people because the next chapter is IT! You heard me. He remembers!**_

_**So how many people think Nixon is making a bad choice (a-gain) by not telling people about the upcoming attack? And who hates the Shaman for suggesting Fai's murder?**_

_**Next chapter Kurogane has a little chat with Sakura and Syaoran finally gets to talk to Tsubasa, face to face. But will Tsubasa be happy to see his father or will there be a little bit of an altercation between father and son? Keep an eye out to find out. Feel free to leave your guesses in the reviews because I would love to hear them. **_

_**Btw, to all TVD fans, I have finally put up my crossover. It's called 'How I Met Mr. Flourite' so leave a review here then go check it out.**_

_**Edit: I kinda forgot to reply to an anonymous reviewer so yeah here's my response to 'the bunny god()'**_

_**Masooma will be kicking that woman's ass though I someone else gets the chance to kill her. I wont say who it is though. I wish she could have had kids too but my bunnies demanded otherwise so... yeah ^_^; But if they did have kids, I'm pretty sure Fai would have named one of them Yuui or maybe Fai... guh,.. confusing. _ I wont actually go into Fai and his brother in this fic but the prequel that I'm planning on writing (and hopefully will get started on once Broken and Shattered Secrets are done) will explore that aspect of Fai's life as he develops a rivalry with Nixon that later on turns to friendship and his feelings for Masooma. I'm actually a little confused by what you meant about the whole '**__** alternate world fai whos the actual fai, not**__**the tsubasa fai who took his dead bros name. THAT would be mind shattering, **__**"oh hi im your dead alternate twin that lived through an expirience like **__**yours" part so I dont think I can answer that question yet. If you can elaborate a bit, I can give it a shot I suppose ^_^**_


	50. Battering Beliefs

_**A/N: I must say I'm a little disappointed with the response from the readers for the last chapter. I've noticed a bit of a pattern to it all. You guys always seem less interested whenever it's Nixon's POV. I wonder why though. You guys want to see less of him and more of someone else? If so, who? I personally think he's a cool character (and I say this in a very unbiased way *shot* ) but I'd like to know your opinion. Even though he's my OC, he's actually really hard to write (he's almost as bad as Kurogane when it comes to writing his POV) because I've turned him into this really complex being and keeping track of all those feelings and not letting it get out of hand is troublesome to say the least. But if you guys aren't enjoying the effort I put into it… well I can always use that energy somewhere else so yeah… tell me what you want. **_

_**On a different note, the first half of this chapter is taking place in parallel to the time where Syaoran found Nixon and heard the Oracle's confrontation with the Shaman. **_

_**The second half will probably make everyone go 'Finally!' because this is it people. He finds out the truth. So yeah, enjoy.**_

Kurogane searched his surroundings with his sixth sense, trying to pinpoint the exact location of the Oracle's aura but it skirted just at the edges of his awareness, appearing oh so briefly at one point of the city before going out of reach and then reappearing in a completely opposite direction. What the heck was wrong with that man? Couldn't he stay in one place long enough to _talk?_ His dramatics were going to end up costing them all their lives if this kept up.

He had seen a vision. The mage had already told him about the blind man's powers of prediction. For him to be this freaked out about it, something big was going to happen soon, something that concerned the man himself, the witch or the mage. There was a possibility that it concerned all three. Given how emotional the man had been only three days back, he really did not want to see how the man might handle the situation on his own. No, it was best to seek him out and get him to spill just what it was that he had seen. Kurogane wasn't willing to let his friends get hurt any more than they already had been.

He couldn't quite believe the time difference between the worlds even though he had been aware that time would have passed differently in the two worlds. What had only been two weeks and three days in Clow had actually been over three months in Magihidusi. It was hard to believe they had rescued the kid less than three weeks ago but the mage had suffered in his place much much longer. Had he known of the suffering the blond would have gone through, would he have tried to find a way to get him out of that place? Of course. There was no doubt about it but seeing the shell of a man left behind from the time spent in captivity, Kurogane couldn't help but feel guilt gnaw at his heart.

If only he had known. If only they had never gone to that city in the first place. If only… if only the Manjuu had never truly been affected by those darned barriers. It all came down to those two words. The words of a wistful soul wondering and hoping to turn back time and change what was to come. 'If only'.

But as much as he wished to be able to go back and change their decisions, Kurogane was no fool. What had happened had happened. All they could do now was help the victims cope with the ordeal they went through and hope for the best. After all, the kid was hopeful that the other kid would soon start to remember the truth. And it had not even been three weeks since they had rescued him. The mage had physically healed completely so who was to say they couldn't hope for the best. Maybe they both would come out of it all relatively unscarred but definitely more experienced and mature?

The kid would still need a lot of therapy to regain the lost muscle mass and strength as looking at him now, one could see nothing more than skin and bones but once he was healed it would not be impossible to achieve. He had done it once so he would probably be able to do it again. As for the mage… well, his was more of the mental healing sort than anything else.

The Oracle's aura flared at the edge of his senses and Kurogane immediately took a one eighty degree turn, heading towards the market place. The Oracle was somewhere in the tunnels beyond that. What was it with that man and secluded caves and tunnels? Hoping the idiot wouldn't change locations before he could get there, Kurogane froze in his footsteps near the edge of the market when he saw the princess leaning over the fountain with her face pale as a ghost.

"Princess, what's wrong?" he asked walking up to the nearly hyperventilating girl.

Wide-eyed, she turned to face him, "K-Kurogane-san. You can see me, right?"

"What sort of question is that?" he asked in bewilderment. "Of course I can see you."

"No, I mean you can see _me_, right?" here she turned back to the fountain, staring at the water with unshed tears in her eyes, "when you look at me, you see _me _not…"

"Oi, Princess, you're sounding like the Mage right now," taking hold of both her shoulders, he turned her around to face him. The jade-eyed princess looked back at him with an expression that was three parts lost and one part scared causing his worry for the girl to mount. "What has gotten into you? Of course I can see you. Who else do you expect me to see?"

"You can't see her…" she breathed, seemingly to herself. "But… I-I…"

Trying not to let his exasperation get the best of him, Kurogane took in a breath to calm himself before rephrasing his question, "Why are you so freaked out?"

"I think I might have just kissed, Syaoran-san."

"You what?" whatever it had been that Kurogane had been expecting her to say, it most definitely not had been that. Why would the girl do something as stupid as that? The kid wasn't the one she loved and he even _looked_ different now. What in the world could have driven her to… "Why the heck would you do something like that?" she flinched and Kurogane had to remind himself to loosen his grip on her shoulders a little. "And what do you mean by _might_? You either kissed him or you didn't."

"I don't know…" she cried, "I think I did. I can't remember what happened. One minute we were just talking about Tsubasa and Sakura-san and the next minute he was apologizing and running away and… I don't know… you can see _me_ when you look at me, right? Not her. Not Sakura-san."

Seeing her distressed state, Kurogane wondered if perhaps the kid had been the one to confuse the two Sakuras. But he was older now. He was nearly the same age as Kurogane. How could someone that old make a stupid mistake like that? True this princess was the original of that kid's princess but to kiss this one just because they shared the same soul… That boy was in for a world of pain when Kurogane came across him next. Had the brat forgotten about the girl waiting for him? Had the brat forgotten that this princess belonged to his _son?_

"Hey, princess, calm down." Lowering his face to her level, he met her gaze and held it, "Breath. I see you when I look at you. Not the other princess but you, alright? Now calm down."

"You don't see her." that was all she said but he couldn't quite be sure whether the words were meant for him or herself. Trying not to yell at the girl for repeating it over and over again, he nodded.

"No, I only see you. Now can you tell me what happened? Did the kid try anything?"

"Syaoran-san? No! I mean… No, it was me… I think. I can't remember what happened."

His alarm must have shown on his face at hearing about her missing memories because the girl hastily added, "I blacked out for a little bit. And I think I kissed him then. Because Syaoran-san was… Something is happening to me, Kurogane-san. Something is wrong with me because… I can see her looking back at me in the water."

"Your other self?"

"Yes."

"But isn't she supposed to be just a memory?"

"Syaoran-san is not just a memory anymore." She pointed out, rubbing her arms as Kurogane felt her gently shudder under his hands.

"It could be an effect of that damned Essence." He said thoughtfully, "Although the kid never went through anything like this. Maybe you should go ask the witch about it." He suggested, removing his hands from her shoulders as he searched his senses for the Oracle's aura. It was still in the same spot, just beyond the marketplace, somewhere in those tunnels. He could catch up with the man if he hurried. Letting go of the princess he turned to leave only to stop at the sound of her voice, so small and hesitant and scared.

"Kurogane-san? Could you…" she hesitated, "could you come with me please?"

The Oracle's aura flared again, a foreign energy clashing with it in a brilliant display of power and Kurogane almost ran towards it but then he remembered the princess's question and sighed.

"Sure," he said, turning his back to the marketplace and the tunnels beyond it, "Let's go."

-0-

"No! Please, I'm sorry!" _That was Tsubasa's voice._

Tsubasa_? Alarmed, he looked around for his son. _

"Sakura, stop!"

_The darkness that had surrounded him before began to fade away as his surrounding morphed and changed and Syaoran found himself standing in the middle of a very familiar looking dungeon. _

At the sound of Tsubasa's scream, Syaoran whirled around, his heart jumping into his throat at the sight of his son bound to a flat table and having his flesh carved out by a cruel looking copy of Sakura who stood over him with a silver knife glinting in the dull light that shone overhead. He would have mistaken this girl for the princess if it had not been for that crazed grin that nearly split her face or that manic gleam in her eyes as she reveled in the sound of Tsubasa's pained cries. 'Sakura' bent down to whisper something in Tsubasa's ear, lovingly wiping away the tears that leaked out of his eyes before drawing away. She laughed at his response before she slapped him in the face, her talon-like nails leaving crimson gouges in his cheek.

_Tsubasa? _He called out cautiously. He could sense his son nearby but it was obvious he was hiding from him. In a whirl of light and sound, the scene changed.

Tsubasa was now cowering on the floor, 'Sakura' standing by the door to the dungeon, 'Kurogane' and 'Fai' moving towards the teen with thick metal poles in their hands. Tsubasa hurriedly pushed away, almost trying to sink into the wall behind him before he was grabbed by the older men, who proceeded to drag him out the dungeon, jeering and spewing insults all the way as they brought him to a tiny cell with a pair of shackles hanging at the end of long chains that were attached to the roof somehow. The men bound his ankles to the chain, 'Sakura' pulling a lever that pulled Tsubasa off the ground. Ignoring the brunette's pleads, the men proceeded to hit him with the rods, focusing on the soles of is feet in particular as he half—hung upside down.

_Tsubasa, I know you are here._ He said quietly, closing his eyes just so he wouldn't have to look at the sight of his son being tortured. Another flicker and the memory changed.

'Fai' and 'Kurogane' held him down as 'Sakura' shoved a feeding tube down his throat, ignoring the choked whimpers that formed in his throat as blood leaked out of his nostrils. Tears steadily streamed down his face as 'Sakura' crooned and whispered at him almost lovingly.

_Tsubasa, stop it._ He said firmly. These memories were not changing randomly like they would in a dream. Oh no. his son was deliberately bringing these up for Syaoran to see. The purpose behind it, the brunette could guess at a little but he still hoped it was not what he thought it was.

The memory changed. 'Kurogane' and 'Fai' held him down yet again as Sakura poured water down his jaws, his body twitching and shaking under the weight of the grown men as he tried and failed to get air inside his lungs, drowning without really drowning.

_Tsubasa, I mean it. _He repeated his warning, reaching out with his senses to try and pinpoint where exactly the teen was hiding. There! Latching on to his presence, Syaoran sent out a burst of concentrated magic that blew the memory apart until he was left standing outside a crumbling building on a floating island. Almost ten feet away, eyes narrowed in anger and mouth pulled down in a frown, stood his son.

"Why are you here now?" he growled dangerously, crossing his arms across his chest.

Stunned by the anger he could see swirling inside those amber eyes, Syaoran was struck speechless for a moment but it appeared it was a moment too long because Tsubasa was striding towards him, fists clenched by his sides and teeth grit together.

"Why did you come back now, huh?" he stopped inches from his face, glaring up at him with nothing but fury and betrayal flashing across his features, "Why not stay wherever it was you had vanished to?"

_Listen Tsubasa, I-_

"Why did you come back?" Tsubasa yelled, "You left when I needed you the most." Syaoran bit his tongue and let Tsubasa scream. His son needed to say these things. It wasn't his fault. He did not know the circumstances surrounding his abrupt departure. Even so, his words cut deeply inside Syaoran's heart but it was okay. Syaoran could endure this pain. His son had gone through much worse. Even if this was the first time he was talking to the brunette face to face ever since that time when he had paid the price for that wish and turned into a memory, it did not matter because Tsubasa was his most precious son and he could endure his cruel words if only because Tsubasa needed to vent out his anger before he would be willing to listen to anything.

"You woke up inside me, I remember that now. And you protected me from some of it. But then you just _vanished_. You left me alone! With those… those… You were my father, weren't you supposed to protect me! Even when everyone else left my side, _you_ of all people… I had always thought that… why are you here now? Have you finally decided to come and watch the broken spectacle I have become?" it seemed he had run out of steam as he swiftly turned on his back and stalked away, "why?" that one word weighed heavily upon his heart.

_Would it mean anything to you if I said I never intended to leave you?_ He asked quietly.

"You still left me with _them_." The younger brunette replied bitterly.

_If you are willing to give me a chance, I can… I can try and explain why I left. Or rather,_ he corrected with a small shake of his head, _why_ _I was made to leave._

"…I'm listening." Tsubasa said though his tone was a little frosty. It hurt Syaoran to hear his son address him in such an aloof manner but seeing where he came from, he was rather grateful Tsubasa was speaking to him at all. After all, looking at everything from his son's point of view, not only had Syaoran failed to protect him from his 'tormentors', he had also abandoned him halfway. Now he was paralyzed and useless, left on the mercy of strangers with no idea of what was reality and what was just a trick being played on him by his torturers.

_I'd rather, you saw instead._ He said, taking a step closer to the teen. Pulling up his magic, Syaoran worked to allow some of his own memories to slip out and infuse the space around them. Having the same soul as his son meant that he could easily bring up memories in here that did not belong to Tsubasa if he wanted to, just as he had briefly taken control of his body in Clow when he had not known the truth for himself and thought Sakura and Kurogane to be the bad guys as well.

_I wasn't completely aware of my surrounding until a couple of days before I was pulled out of your body._ He said by way of explanation, not letting the memory form until he had told Tsubasa some of the things he should know before seeing them._ The minute I was pulled out, I thought it was just another ploy of Sakura-chan's and Kurogane-san's to harm you. So I attacked them._

The memory that played out before him was one of Syaoran's very first ones. In fact, this had happened only seconds after he had been pulled out of Tsubasa's body and given a semi-corporeal form.

_Get away from him! _he yelled, watching in wide-eyed horror as Kurogane moved towards his unmoving son that lay on the bed.

"S-Syaoran-san." He heard the princess say breathlessly but his own gaze was fixated on the ninja who paused to study his features for a fraction of a second. Anger burning through his veins, he took a menacing step towards the duo, growling low in his throat as he did so. _I said, Get. The. Fuck… AWAY FROM HIM!_ not giving either of them a chance to react, Syaoran raced at the red-eyed man, ignoring the princess's alarmed cry as he kicked the older man. The fact that his leg flew right through him did nothing to deter Syaoran as he whirled around to attack him again, _Haven't you two had enough fun with him? He never did anything to deserve your hatred._

"Syaoran-san, stop!" Sakura raced ahead to stand protectively before the ninja causing Syaoran to stand down. Even if she was the cause behind his son's state, he did not want to hurt her

_Despite everything that you did to him, I don't want to hit you, Hime. Step out of the way._ He warned.

"It wasn't us." She shook her head. "Believe me. We didn't do this." Taking this distraction, Kurogane moved towards Tsubasa again and Syaoran felt himself go cold all over.

_Stay away from him!_ he snarled, his breath catching in his throat at the ninja's next words.

"Oye, Hime! Get over here. Fuck! The kid isn't breathing."

The princess did not move from her spot however, raising her hand to summon her staff instead. Catching it out of the air, she slammed the pole on the ground, looking at Syaoran in what one might have considered an apologetic expression as a magic circle began glowing underneath Syaoran's feet. The horrified spirit was frozen in place, too shocked by the knowledge that his son was dead to do anything as multi-colored ribbons of magic began to wrap themselves around his body.

"I'm sorry Syaoran-san, but this is the only way. Time flows differently in that world then it does here, but please tell Fai-san we'll come as soon as we can." That was all he ever got from the princess before he was whisked away by her magic. The memory faded away, leaving them back on the floating island.

_I was terrified. I had no idea what happened to you._ He admitted quietly,_ I arrived in the dungeons that looked quite similar to the ones where we were being kept before. Only the person trapped in there wasn't you. I didn't care about that though. I had to know if you were okay but I did not have the means to return to you. So I turned to the next best thing._

A new memory formed around them.

Syaoran was kneeling over Fai's prone form, the blond dressed in nothing but a pair of tattered jeans. His long hair clung to his face and torso in wet ropy strands, his chest rattling with every breath he took, soft moans escaping his lips every now and then. His face was contorted in pain and he was covered grime and blood. Syaoran seemed to be studying the unconscious man's face for something before a malicious grin formed on his face as he thrust his hand into the other man's chest.

The blond trembled and moaned, a scream of pain tearing from his throat as his eyes flew open when Syaoran clenched his fist a little harder around his heart.

"Syaoran-kun!" the blond gasped, finally recognizing his tormentor. Syaoran cold detect the hint of betrayal and the question in his tone now that he heard the wizard for the second time and he grew ashamed of ever having felt pleasure upon inflicting such agony upon the man who had gone through it all for the sake of saving his son.

_Can't take what you dished out, Fai?_ The Syaoran in the memory questioned viciously, his tone a little mocking as he glared down at the wizard, _I'm going to make sure you suffer before I kill you. I'll make it a lot worse for you_ Fai-san._ If you don't send me back to my son._

Feeling guilt claw at his gut Syaoran hurriedly cut off the memory at that point. Tsubasa was staring at him with something akin to surprise and a little bit of fear. The brunette probably had not though him capable of such cruelty.

_I nearly killed him that day. I had no idea what had become of you, I was stuck in a dungeon with one of the last people on earth I ever wanted to even see again and I had no way to get back to you. I was so blinded by my anger and fear, I never paused to take into consideration that something was very wrong with the situation. Had I known… _he trailed off, pulling up a new memory for Tsubasa to see. Hopefully, this would clarify the situation for him a little more.

Fai was curled up on the floor, his body twitching at regular intervals as he mumbled incoherently. The door to the dungeon was pushed open with a loud screech and in stepped the Fai's silver-haired tormentor. The woman's heels clacked loudly against the solid floor as she approached the blond, crouching next to him with a sweet smile on her face. Fai stared up at her with dull lifeless eyes until she slipped a needle into his skin and injected him with a murky grey liquid. Immediately, recognition fluttered across his gaze as he looked at the smiling woman hopefully.

One word escaped his lips and it was that word that made Tsubasa draw in a sharp breath.

"Ma-Mas-ooma?"

"That's not, Masooma-san." Tsubasa whispered, as though afraid a louder tone would shatter the memory.

_I know._ Syaoran agreed, equally quiet. _But Fai-san did not know that. And at that time, neither did I…_

"Think you can remember it for me now?" the woman crooned softly, though Syaoran was looking at Tsubasa's face as one color came and the other flew by across his face, He heard Fai cry out as the woman hit him, watching as dots began to connect in Tsubasa's mind but he let the memory play. Tsubasa had to draw the complete conclusion on his own. The woman ran her fingers through Fai's knotted hair, playing with a random strand in an almost bored manner as she continued speaking. "You know, Fai, I had really hoped you'd be able to tell us something this time." Her hand trailed down his face to his neck, "After all, this doesn't have to be this way." Her hand trailed lower and Fai squeezed his eyes shut in fear. "All this pain…" the memory blacked out a little at this point because Syaoran had not been paying attention to it at the time, drawing conclusions of his own when it happened the first time around.

The sickening sound of breaking bones was what caused the memory to come back into focus, Fai screaming in pain as tears steadily flowed down his face. Even now, only one word escaped his lips, the name of the woman he loved. The silver haired woman continued speaking, looking almost bored as she snapped his fingers one by one.

"Masooma-san's precious person…" Tsubasa mumbled, stumbling a couple of feet away from Syaoran just as he finally let the memory fade away, focusing his attention on his son, "the man who went through everything I did… that was him!"

Syaoran said nothing in response, knowing that only if Tsubasa drew the connections on his own would he believe the truth. After having gone through so much, he was not going to believe anything that someone else told him. he was bound to trust his own judgment a lot more.

"But if he was there… and that woman… she was… she wasn't Masooma-san… but Fai-san thought it was her… so then… I… Sakura, Kurogane-san and Fai-san were not… that woman was the one that… she was the one that did this to me?"

Syaoran shook his head, confirming his son's theory. _Sakura-chan never hurt you Tsubasa._

_**A/N: And there you have it. Only seven or eight more chapters left to go hopefully and then it will be the end of Broken. It makes me go all sad and melancholic at the thought of seeing this story end if only because so many things are coming to an end in my life. I will be giving the final 'final exam' of my undergraduate life in less than twenty four hours. It feels rather scary to be honest and for some reason I don't want to see this stuff from the other side if that makes any sense. Anyhow, I've been thinking about creating a facebook profile where the readers can all get random updates, see artwork and talk to me about ideas and stuff. I haven't actually gotten round to it yet but if you feel like it's an interesting idea then let me know and I will make one. ^_^**_

_**Also, I need your help with deciding how to make Tsubasa react to this knowledge. Vote for one of the following**_

_**a. Tsubasa is shocked to hear the truth but believes his father but he asks Syaoran to give him some time to come to terms with this new information and not let the others come see him yet. **_

_**b. Tsubasa is still in denial and Syaoran has to knock some sense into him to make him believe the truth.**_

_**c. Tsubasa believes Syaoran and asks to see Sakura and the others to apologize for the way he acted around them because he feels guilty for behaving so hatefully when around them.**_

_**Here's a little sneak peak for the next chapter but just know that I won't update until I get a better response from you guys. **_

"Why the fuck didn't you tell us something was wrong you moron?"

"Because nothing is wrong Kurogane…" he laughed. Everything was fine. "I'm fine. Nothing is wrong at all. Everything is perfectly fine. Nothing wrong. Nothing… at all…" Yes. He was fine. He was safe. He was back with the people who cared about him. People who loved him. They would never hurt him. He had Masooma and Kurogane and Sakura and Mokona and Nixon and Syaor- Syaoran had tried to crush his heart! And his chest had been torn open and there had been blood. Blood. So much… His hand touched his chest and there was nothing there. So then… wait… no… Syaoran had… but then he was… fine. He was at Magihidusi now. He was safe. He was fine. Fine. Everything was fine.

"Maybe all that is nothing to you, but it's a whole lot of something to the rest of us. You don't have to deal with this shit on your own you moron. We are supposed to be your friends so let us help you."

"Help… me?" Could they… could they really help him? What would they do if he told them about her voice inside his head? How would they get it out?

'_Go on Fai. Tell them you can hear me. Then maybe they can _tear_ me out of your head.'_

_**Just to get it out there, the 450**__**th**__**, 475**__**th**__** and the 500**__**th**__** (if I ever manage to get there ^_^; ) reviewers will be getting a special treat from me in the form of a TRC one-shot request each that I will write for them once Broken is finished. You can request crossovers if you feel like it so long as I am familiar with the other fandom. Any genre is fine including romance, humor, horror etc and any pairing too so long as it's not Yaoi because that is something I refuse to write.**_

_**Now I gotta go hit the books, final exam and all so ttyl~**_


	51. But still She Stays

_**A/N: so I heard that people are deleting stories with graphic content in them which is rather unfair if you ask me if the author has given appropriate warnings and has it rated correctly. Instead of deleting fics left and right, they could always just put in a new sections for such fics perhaps because the writers spend a lot of time creating their stories and fleshing out the plots and then typing it all out. To see all that hardwork vanish is highly discouraging. But anyhow, in light of these events I have decided to back up my stories someplace else just in case. I have an LJ account but in my opinion LJ is a pain to manage so I found this other website called a03 that uses a format similar to (because I have gotten really used to this format) but the problem is that unless you get an invite from someone who is already a member there, you gotta wait all the way until the end of November to get the invite to be a member. My point of posting this rant here is that if anyone of my lovely readers has an account there and they still have an invite or two to give away, please send me one? You guys would probably need my e-mail address for that so send me a PM and I will get back to you. ^_^**_

_**Now that is out of the way, the reason for my update is that I am almost done with my project and this calls for a celebration! I'm super happy at the mo' so I figured I should make you guys happy too (or would that be sad? *sweatdrops* considering Broken is a tad bit depressing and all…)**_

'_So walk away_

_Walk away_

_Walk away, oh_

_Save yourself from the heartache, oh_

_Go now before it's too late'_

Walk Away by The Script

Whatever it was that Sakura had been expecting when she and Kurogane walked into the room she had left Masooma and Fai in less than hour ago, it was definitely not what she saw. Fai was asleep on the cot and Masooma was bent over towards the ground in front of the wet strands of long, blond hair that littered the floor. Her gaze immediately snapped back towards the sleeping magician and it was then that she realized Fai had cut off his hair. Or maybe he had Masooma do it for him, but… Fai had cut off his hair! It was even shorter than Tsubasa's now. She wondered if this had something to do with starting a new phase in his life or something. After all, the last time something major happened, he had grown his hair out-right after the incident in Acid Tokyo.

Turning her attention back to the witch, she wondered why the woman had not acknowledged their presence. She appeared a little lost in thought, though, so Sakura let it go, announcing their presence by calling out the older woman's name. "Masooma-san?"

The woman did not reply, staring rather intently at the tangled mess of hair on the ground.

"Is everything okay?" Concern for the witch immediately pushed away her own problems as the healer finally looked up to look at them, eyes bright with unshed tears, confusion, helplessness and above all hopelessness swirling in her amber gaze.

"I was so blind to it all..." she said, sounding like someone had left her adrift an ocean when she did not even know how to float, "I was so desperate to see that he was fine, I turned a blind eye to everything that was right there in front of me. He was supposed to be okay! We got him out, didn't we?"

"Masooma-san," she took a careful step towards distressed witch, kneeling before her and placing a gentle hand on her trembling arm, "what happened?" she echoed the question Kurogane had posed for her only a little while back.

"He fell apart right before my eyes," Masooma replied, a tear leaking from her eyes and slowly trailing down the side of her cheek, hanging from her chin like a droplet of liquefied crystal. "He was fighting something I couldn't see or hear or feel and there was nothing I could do to help him...I could only watch as he battled and lost against his demons. With all my magic, you would think I'd have been able to do something, no? But I was completely _useless_." She spat bitterly, "Just like I always have been." She added, looking away as more tears trailed down her face.

"You're not useless." Kurogane spoke up before Sakura could say anything, "Just look at how far you have gotten with the kid."

Sakura doubted he knew about Tsubasa's progress anymore than she did, but Syaoran knew and he must have spoken with the ninja about his son's condition.

"Kurogane-san is right, you're not useless, Masooma-san." She agreed, gently squeezing her arm in an attempt to comfort her.

"It doesn't matter if I can't do anything to help Fai." Masooma retorted stubbornly.

"I can't do anything to help Tsubasa either." Sakura pointed out quietly.

Masooma said nothing in response to that. Sakura wondered what else she could say to make it a little better for her when she heard Kurogane heave a tired sigh behind her.

"Maybe you two should go get something to eat." He suggested, walking over and pulling up a chair next to Fai's bedside. "I'll watch the mage for now." Sakura waited for some sort of indication from Masooma but the witch was lost in her own world again. Deciding it might just be for the best to get her out of the room and away from Fai (Her heart clenched painfully at the thought of something being wrong with him-hadn't they all suffered enough already?) Sakura decided to take matters into her own hands. Climbing to her feet, she tugged at the witch's hand gently.

"Kurogane-san is right, Masooma-san, I think we should have some lunch."

"I'm not hungry." She said, resisting Sakura as she tried to direct the witch outside the room.

"Masooma-san, Kurogane-san will come get us if anything changes. You really don't have to worry about anything when he's asleep, do you?" Stifling a sigh at the older woman's stubborn behavior, she tried a different tactic. "How can you expect to help anyone if you can't keep up your own strength?" She knew she was recycling the same things she had been told by Kurogane and Syaoran and from the slightest upturn of the ninja's lips, Sakura knew Kurogane had noticed that as well, but Masooma still refused to budge. Her determination to not move from that spot seemed to irritate Kurogane as the red-eyed man fixed a hard stare at the witch as he spoke.

"What exactly do you think your standing here is going to accomplish? If you couldn't help him earlier, what makes you think you can make a difference now?"

Sakura thought it was a little harsh of the ninja to say something like that, but from the emotions flashing across Masooma's face, it seemed he was getting through to her, at least a little. She showed signs of resistance when Sakura tried to tug her along, mumbling about wanting to stay with Fai, but in the end allowed the princess to pull her out of the room. Sakura still had to guide her all the way to the kitchen that was built on that level of the pyramid. Unlike the houses where most of the magi population lived, the pyramid had a series of community kitchens with attached dining halls built on each successive level, their sizes decreasing as they went higher according to the number of officials living on that level. They were currently at the fourth level.

Guiding the witch to one of the wooden tables in the dining hall, Sakura walked over to the attached kitchen, asking the woman cooking that night's dinner for something sweet for two people. The woman gave her a polite smile before asking her to watch the stove as she retrieved some food. Three minutes later, the woman was back with a tray carrying two small bowls and a larger bowl filled with an orange-red sort of mashed mixture.

"It's called _Halwa, _dear," the woman seemed to understand Sakura's curiosity, knowing that she was a foreigner in the city, "one of Magihidusi's finest desserts, made from grated carrots and milk."

Nodding her thanks, Sakura made her way back to the witch who had yet to move from her spot, staring listlessly at her hands clasped in her lap.

"Masooma-san, the kitchen lady gave me some 'alwa.'"She said, setting the tray gently on the granulated table top. The word felt a little strange on her tongue, but Sakura did not mind. There had often been times when they had all had to learn new words which sounded different from the way they were spoken by the natives, if only because the dimension travelers had never really heard of them before. Pulling up a chair beside the silent witch, Sakura ladled generous amounts of the treat into the smaller bowls, placing a spoon in each before offering one to the older woman, who took it with nothing but a tiny nod.

Sakura took a small bite, savoring the sweet flavor that exploded on her tongue for a little moment before chewing and swallowing it, turning her attention back to Masooma who only stared at her food.

"It won't go anywhere unless you eat it." Sakura said quietly, watching as the witch jumped as though having only just realized she was not alone. Gingerly picking up the spoon with one hand, she cradled the bowl in the other, appearing to contemplating on whether to eat or not. Sakura kept on observing her, knowing that even if she did bring up the issue of the other Sakura up right now, Masooma would not be able to give her a good answer. Sakura would have to help her get over her own issue before she could be even remotely ready to help Sakura with hers.

"What happened after we left?" she asked gently.

"Fai said he wanted to take a bath," the witch replied a little distantly. To Sakura it appeared as though Masooma was still half-lost in her memories. "So I drew him one. There was an accident and he slipped when he tried to get out of the tub and pulled me inside. I left to change my clothes and when I got back he… he…" Sakura waited for her to continue, her eyes widening in horror when only half a minute later a steady dripping sound drew her attention to the witch's hand, which was clutching the spoon so hard it had started bleeding. The crimson liquid pooled on the table underneath her hand, soaking through the bandages she had wrapped around her palm.

"Masooma-san, you're hurt!" Sakura cried, hurriedly snatching the older woman's hand and prying it open to retrieve the spoon. Carefully unwinding the gauze, Sakura observed the deep gash in her palm, starting from right below her little finger and dividing her hand diagonally until it reached the lower end of her thumb. How had that woman even been holding on to the spoon in the first place with an injury like that? And why had she not healed it? From the state of the wound, it was still quite fresh-but when had she gotten it?

"I can't even feel it…" the witch murmured, watching the gash in fascination as Sakura hurriedly muttered a healing spell and knit the flesh back together, slowly staunching the blood flow.

"How did you get it?"

"Fai… h-he…"

"Fai-san did that?" Sakura gasped, subconsciously touching the scars on her forearm as she withdrew her hands.

"He... He didn't know. It was my fault. I should have been more careful, I startled him and he just turned around with the scissors and…" it seemed as though the older woman had had enough of trying to keep her emotions under control, because she finally burst into tears, "he didn't know. He just didn't realize it was me…"

Sakura's heart went out to her, if only because Masooma was going through the same thing she had and still was. Slipping off her chair, she wordlessly moved next to the witch, pulling her into a hug. She knew from experience how sometimes such a simple gesture could help.

"I hate it…" came Masooma's muffled voice, once her sobs had subsided a little, though she made no effort of pulling away. "I hate it all… this stupid world and its fucked-up laws and its screwed-up Shaman. We never should have come here. We never should have stayed. Those hunters…they won't stop. They'll never stop. Their only purpose in life is destroying whoever possesses magic and they have no reservations whatsoever in how they do it. They did it to me, they did it to Tsubasa and now they have… He's gone Sakura. I lost my Fai… they took him away from me. He's gone for-"

"Don't say that, Masooma-san." Sakura cut in sharply, suddenly feeling pity and anger towards the woman. How could she even _think_ that Fai was gone? Fai was still there. Just like Tsubasa was still there. They just had to get through to them. They both had hope. How could she have given up on the blond without even trying? "Fai-san is not lost to us. We finally have him back. He just needs some time to-"

"You weren't there, Sakura." The witch drew away from her as though finally realizing just who it was she had been crying in front of. "You did not see it. That…" a shudder visibly shook her whole body as she wrapped her arms around herself, trying to comfort herself. "That horrible emptiness in his gaze as he looked at me… That broken shell of a man sleeping in that room… That is _not_ Fai!"

"And you claim to have loved him." Sakura scoffed, any pity she had felt towards the woman evaporating as fury took its place. "So what if he is not the same as before? No one could have gone through what he did and come out unscathed. Just because he is different now, you're just going to _give up_ on him? Is that what you think when you try and treat Tsubasa? He hates me for what happened to him, but you don't see me saying I have lost him. For you to suddenly turn your back on Fai-san and abandon him just because he's unwell speaks volumes about your love for him. If this is the depth of your feelings for him… then I'm glad it all happened to him. At least he will know how much you really care about him."

The sound of a slap rang through the empty dining hall and it took Sakura half a second to recognize the stinging sensation on her cheek for what it was. Gingerly touching her face, she turned her head to look back at the witch who was now glaring at her.

"How dare you…" Masooma sputtered, her eyes ablaze as she had the gall to look offended by what the princess had said, "how dare you even say that I am going to abandon him. I _love_him."

"Well you have a funny way of showing it, Masooma-san."Sakura replied coldly. No one had ever dared to slap her before, not even her parents or Touya. And this woman had done it so easily. "Refusing to even acknowledge that the man in that room is Fai-san, I can really see this _love_ you have for him."

"The hunters fucking drove him _insane!_" the witch exploded, a decorative vase on the next table shattering noisily as she stood up. "There is no coming back from that! Or do you have a miraculous cure for schizophrenia, Princess?"

"Is everything alright in here, dears?" The kitchen lady suddenly poked her head through the doorway, looking worried and a little apprehensive as she looked at the two females.

"Everything is fine, Kana." Masooma replied without looking away from Sakura's suddenly-ashen face, "I'll fix the vase before I leave."

"Oh… Okay. I'll be in the kitchen if you need anything."

"Thanks. We'll give you a call if we want something."The witch still had her attention on Sakura as Sakura tried to process what she had just been told, her fury dying in the wake of the revelation. "The Halwa is great by the way. You really outdid yourself this time." Sakura distantly wondered how Masooma would know, when she did not even bother to taste it, but she hastily pushed that thought away in favor of concentrating on the more pressing issue. Masooma had said that Fai was insane, schizophrenic…. There was… there was no cure for that. Everything, even magic, had its limitations and a wish to cure something like that would have an insanely high price and would most probably involve taking away his memories of that time completely.

She watched as the witch sat back down, breathing a little unevenly, not really saying anything further even as she picked up the spoon Sakura had taken out of her hand earlier. A little blood had dried on the handle, but it did not seem to bother the older woman at all. She pushed the Halwa around in her bowl for a little while as Sakura lowered her gaze to her own sweet, no longer wanting to eat it even though she had really liked it initially. A heavy lump formed in her throat as she tried to keep her tears at bay.

Hadn't they all suffered enough? It was one bad thing on top of the other. First Syaoran, now Fai… Was she going to lose every single person she cared about? And on top of that, there was that strange deal with her other self.

"Fai-san doesn't hate you, at least." Sakura murmured, a tear stubbornly slipping from her eye and splashing against the back of her hand.

"Give me a couple of days and Tsubasa won't hate you either." Masooma's tone had turned comforting once again and Sakura wondered where all that fury had gone to all of a sudden. "He's actually a lot better now. It won't be long before he realizes the truth."

"But even if he realizes the truth, would he actually trust me?"

"Why wouldn't he?"

"Because… even if some part of him suddenly accepts the fact that we did not do any of it, his fear and hatred for us won't just vanish overnight."

"Maybe not… but that doesn't mean he won't come to love you again."

"What about you and Fai-san?" She asked softly, peeking at the witch through her lashes as her expression crumbled and a vulnerable woman was left in her place.

"Tsubasa is my priority now and I _will _help him heal, but…I love him, you know…I can't just…" she gave Sakura a watery smile, "The Fai I knew is gone, but…even so, I'll stay by his side no matter what."

_***Time~for~a~time-skip***_

_**(You can totally tell how happy I am. I used ~and *'s instead of the boring -0- xD )**_

_His limbs were frozen. He couldn't move, couldn't talk…couldn't do anything. He tried and tried and tried to get away but no matter what he did, nothing worked. His body was frozen. He couldn't move. He couldn't talk. He couldn't do anything. But he could feel the cold metal that bit into his wrists and ankles. He could see the cruel gaze that bore down at him. He could… he could hear the sweet nothings she whispered to him. _

_He was bound and paralyzed but he could feel. He could _feel_ her sharp nails, raking lines of fire down his chest. He could _see_ her lips stretched wide in an earsplitting grin. He could _taste_ the blood that filled his mouth. He couldn't get away, but he could feel._

_He tried to scream. He tried to cry out. He tried to beg for relief. But his lips were sewn shut. He could do nothing but choke on his own blood, sobbing helplessly as the never-ending pain spread and spread and spread as his flesh was peeled apart to expose his insides. Agony consumed him as her cruel claws tore apart his lips. He couldn't move. His limbs were _frozen_. But now…now he could scream. He could beg. He could cry out for an end to this wretched existence. _

_He _could_ see it. That manic gleam in her eyes. He could_still_ hear. The way she commanded for him to plead. But he couldn't move. He couldn't breathe, only choke on the blood that filled his mouth. It slipped past his lips and pooled all around him. He could _feel _her claws digging into his eyes and then his world turned to black, robbing him of another sense. He couldn't __see__ anymore. _

_Didn't he want relief from it all? Didn't he want it to end? Why was he not saying anything? Why was he not asking her to put an end to it? Her cruel words demanded that he beg her for the end._

"_Please, stop! Kill me! "_

_Blood began to fill his ears, robbing him of another sense. No. That wasn't right. He could still hear her. Inside his head. She laughed and she jeered. She mocked and she demanded. And he _still_ couldn't move. Why wasn't it ending? Why wouldn't it end? _

"_Kill me!" he begged and he pleaded._

"_Kill me! Kill me! Kill me!" he cried out like a never ending mantra. But no one cared. No one cared enough to put an end to it. No one ever came. He was alone. Where were his friends? Where were the ones he loved? Why would no one come to help him?_

"_Kill me! Kill me! Please stop! Stopstopstopstop! Just kill me!" He screamed and screamed and screamed. Why wouldn't the pain end? Why wouldn't it stop already? Where were they? _

"Mage. Oi. Wake up."

_Wake up? How? How could he wake up? He _was_ awake. _

"_Killmekillmekillme!Stoppleasestopstopkillme!No! End it!"_

"Snap out of it. Damn it, wake up!"

_Wake up? No. He was already awake. He was awake. He wanted to die. He was on fire. He was drowning in blood. He was dying. But he was alive. He wanted it to end. EnditenditenditjustENDIT!_

"Fai! You stupid blond, SNAP OUT OF IT!"

_Why won't it end? Whywhywhy-_

"K-Kurogane…" he was upright? No. He had been lying down. Hadn't he? Then… wait. Blood. Where…where was it? Hands flew to his chest, meeting smooth, unmarred skin. But…No…Wait. The blood…There was blood. He was choking and tied down and there was blood and he was choking and tied down and there was blood. Where was the blood? His chest! But…he was fine. He was…fine.

"Why the fuck didn't you tell us something was wrong, you moron?" Kurogane? When did he get there? Wait…No…he was already there. Wasn't he? But then…wait…the blood! No. No blood. His chest! It was fine. His…his lips…were undamaged. But the blood. And the frozen limbs…and the blindne- no…Wait. He could see. And he could move. And…he couldn't feel any pain. He was fine. Fine.

"Because nothing is wrong, Kurogane…" He laughed. Everything was fine. "I'm fine. Nothing is wrong at all. Everything is perfectly fine. Nothing's wrong. Nothing… at all…" Yes. He was fine. He was safe. He was back with the people who cared about him. People who loved him. They would never hurt him. He had Masooma and Kurogane and Sakura and Mokona and Nixon and Syaor- Syaoran had tried to crush his heart! And his chest had been torn open and there had been blood. Blood. So much…His hand touched his chest and there was nothing there. So then…wait…no…Syaoran had…but then he was…fine. He was at Magihidusi now. He was safe. He was fine. Fine. Everything was fine.

"Will you just listen to yourself?" He flinched. Why was he yelling like that? The ninja was angry. But he had not done anything. So then why…was he going to hurt him, too? But…No! Wait…Kurogane was his friend. Friends did not hurt their friends. They cared about them. But Syaoran had crushed his _heart._ His hand flew to his chest and nothing was wrong. So then… "You sound like one of those music-playing things in Piffle that broke when you dropped it. Repeating the same thing over and over again! Stop being an idiot and let us help you."

Repeating like a broken music-playing thing? No. That was silly. He was fine. He couldn't feel the pain. And he could see. And move. And his limbs were not frozen. Everything was okay. He was safe. He didn't need help anymore. He was okay now. There was no blood. His chest was fine. And his eyes were too. Why did Kurogane think he was an idiot? Everything was fine. Really. He wasn't like a broken music-playing thing that he dropped in Piffle. That was silly. He was fine. And there was no pain. And… "But why would you want to help when there is nothing wrong with me? I told you. I'm fine…nothing is wrong. Nothing at all."

Why was Kurogane growling like that? He was angry. Was he…was he going to hit Fai now? No. Kurogane was his friend. He would not hurt him. Just like Sakura would never hurt him. Or Masooma. Or Mokona. Or Nixon. Or Syaoran… But no…Wait! Syaoran had crushed his heart…so then…Kurogane would hurt him too, wouldn't he?

'_Of course he will hurt you.'_

His breath caught in his throat. She was back. Why was she back? No nonononononono! She couldn't be here now. Kurogane would hear her and then…he froze. She was nibbling on his earlobe, that cold tongue tracing the shell of his ear. What if Kurogane heard her? She couldn't be there! No. She had to go away. Fai was okay. She wasn't real.

'_You can still feel me, Fai. That means I'm real enough for you.'_

No! He had cut off his…he had…wait…he cut off the hair- so that she wouldn't- but she was- so then…

"You freaked out the witch with that stunt you pulled with your hair in the bathroom. She's hurting already, you dumbass. And don't think I didn't notice the way you've been acting since you woke up." He could hear her! That was why he wasn't believing Fai. Kurogane could hear her!"Maybe all that is nothing to you, but it's a whole lot of something to the rest of us. You don't have to deal with this shit on your own, you moron. We are supposed to be your friends, so let us help you."

"Help…me?" Could they…could they really help him? What would they do if he told them about her voice inside his head? How would they get it out?

'_Go on, Fai. Tell them you can hear me. Then maybe they can tear me out of your head.'_

Tear it out of his head? He…no! He couldn't go through that again. He couldn't. The voice wasn't real anyway, so then… he was fine. Everything was okay. He was fine. Nothing was wrong with him. Nothing at all. He was fine. He was fine. Everything was fine.

"But I'm fine, Kurogane. I'm-" He had to believe him. He hated the voice, but he could not let them tear it out of his head. Because then they would have to tie him down. And his limbs would be frozen. And he wouldn't be able to move. Or talk. Or scream. And then he…he couldn't breathe. No. They _couldn't_ find the voice. They _couldn't_ hear it. Because if they heard it, then… why was it so hot? And why couldn't he…

"Mage?"

He couldn't breathe.

"Oi!Mage!"

He couldn't breathe! His lungs…and his chest…and the blood…and he-

"Mage, oi! Snap out of it, you dumbass."

There was so much blood. And he was drowning…choking. He couldn't see anything and he was… he was… whycouldn'thebreathe?

"Hey, Fai! Look at me. Come on, you moron. Don't do this again."

He was sinking. Deeper and deeper and deeper. And there was blood all around him. And her claws were digging into his chest. And his heart was being crushed and he…nononono… !

"Fai-san!"

He was in hell. There was no other word for it. He couldn't move. He couldn't see. Couldn't breathe. There was blood. So much blood. And it was everywhere. And his limbs were frozen. He couldn't…he couldn't move!

"Kurogane-san, what happened?"

Voices. They were talking in the distance. He could hear them. But…what were they saying? Couldn't they see the blood? Couldn't they feel this agony? Didn't they know he was dying? But no… wait! He couldn't die! So why wouldn't they put him out of his misery? Why wouldn't they kill him? killmekillmekillme!

"I was talking to him and he just…oh, shit. Mage!"

"Fai-san, no!"

_Her_ claws were ripping apart his chest. They were tearing him open. It hurt. It hurt so much. Why would the voices not stop her? Why were they just talking and talking and talking? Why couldn't he move? He couldn't breathe…and the blood. It was drowning him.

"Help me hold him down!"

"What were you talking about, Kurogane-san?"

"I only asked him about his fit."

Please no more. Nomorenomore!

"Fai-san, calm down, please. You're hurting yourself."

Why were they just talking and talking and talking? Why weren't they stopping _her?_

"Kurogane-san, he won't heal with his claws like that. Pull them away so I can bind them."

The searing hot agony in his chest lessened. He still couldn't move, limbs frozen in place, words locked inside his mouth, eyes unable to see past all the blood, but he could feel. He could feel the way foreign magic wove its way through his own hands. No! He needed his hands! They couldn't bind him. His own magic rose to the surface, blasting the voices away. The claws returned to his chest, blinding pain enveloping his entire being as he felt them literally begin to tear his body apart. The stench of blood was heavy in the air. He was suffocating.

"Killme! Stop! No please! Killmekillmekillme!" The seal was lifted from his lips, leaving him able to scream. _Her_ laughter rang in the air. Or maybe it wasn't she who was laughing. Maybe it was him…but why was he laughing? Why…what was going on?

"What the heck is going on in here that- Fai!" a new voice. It was familiar. Who was it? He knew that voice. He knew that voice. He knew it. Who…who was it? Would they hurt him too? Would they kill him? Or would they join her and become new claws to rip him open?

"Fai-san is having another fit, but his magic is too wild. It keeps overwhelming me and I can't stop him."

"Kurogane, help me hold him down. Sakura, when I tell you to, use a spell to bind him."

Voices… who were they? What were they saying? What was going on? Who was he? Where was he? Why was there so much blood? And…and why did he hurt? Hands gripping his shoulders…

"Nonononono!Killme! Stop! Please! No! letmegoletmegoletmego!" Hands holding his legs…The magic. It was back! It was sinking through his fingers, pulling and sucking and going in in in. No. the voices! They were going to bind him. He couldn't- wait. No! They couldn't do this to-

"Nixon-san, his magic is fighting back."

Nixon. He knew that name. But no. Wait…was it one of the voices holding him down? Why? He was hurting. He wanted it to end. The voice in his head was laughing. And laughing and laughing… no, wait. It was him. Why was he laughing? He was choking. He couldn't breathe.

"Leave it to me. Keep going with that binding spell, Princess."

Why were the voices talking… and talking and talking? The spell moved and moved and his limbs froze. No, wait…were they not already frozen? Had he been moving them before? But how…he was trapped. The voices were with her.

"Let me go! Please stop it! Killmekillmekillme!"

Something warm gently touched his temple and he felt a new spell weave its way through his system. He found himself sinking and sinking and sinking. The blood began to vanish as he sunk lower and lower, the voices growing distant.

"I've bound his claws for now. He shouldn't be able to use them again for a while."

"What the fuck happened to him? Why did he keep asking me to kill him? And why was he laughing like that?"

"Whatever it was you said, it must have triggered his fit, Kurogane-san."

The voices…they just kept on talking.

'_They know what you've become, Fai. They know your secret.'_

Shut up, he wanted to snarl at the voice, but he had sunk too far deep to be able to speak. Still he kept sinking. Shut up shut up shut up shut-

He hit the bottom and knew no more.

_**A/N: I always thought Kurogane's way of problem solving might backfire sooner or later, don't you agree? I mean, I love the guy and his stoic cool ninja ways and all but still… looking at it realistically, I think it could backfire instead of working out at times depending on who he is talking to.**_

_**Fai has completely gone insane by now and though Kurogane might have sped it along a little bit, but he was not the cause of the problem. Next chapter is where things speed up as news of the impending attack is relayed to some of the members and you guys get to meet the ruling council of the Magihidusi. The Guardians are in-charge of security for the city and the essence while the council members are the ones that handle the day to day matters. Any major changes a Guardian might want to make to the security need to be run through the council first so it acts as a buffer for the amount of authority the Guardians might have.**_

_**By the way you will all be happy to know that I have finally managed to draft the rest of the plotline, complete with chapter outlines and stuff, all the way to the end. Broken will be officially ending around chapter sixty (or sixty one at most) so yes, the end is near and in sight. **_


	52. Basket Case

_**A/N: I don't really have much to say for this update except for the fact that this is my first ever post after graduation. Yup! Yours truly is now a graduate and looking for a job. ^_^; Oh and we're also going to be moving to the next city in about a weeks time so not only did I just move out of the dorms back home, I'm also busy helping pack stuff for the move next weekend. But anywho, now that all the major hell is over and done with, I should hypothetically speaking have a lot more free time on my hands to be able to write and update quicker. Keep your fingers crossed and pray the bunnies don't desert me now. ;) ;)**_

_**And now, enjoy~**_

Nixon followed the path Syaoran took to see his son using his sixth sense, watching as the spirit was slowly absorbed by the brunette's body. Only once the deed was done did he see fit to finally leave the tunnel. Searching through the vast array of colorful auras that showed up in range of Nixon's _vision,_ he took note of Kurogane's aura back in Fai's room while Masooma and Sakura seemed to be making their way to the kitchens. Knowing he at least did not have to worry about the crimson-eyed man for the time being, he located the aura he was looking for and started moving across the city towards it.

"Captain Numero, I would like call a meeting with the Elder's Council as soon as possible."

"Is everything alright, sir?" the man turned to him, alarm flashing through his aura.

"I'm afraid not," he replied with a small shake of his head, "I will disclose the details once I have spoken with the council, but it would be best if you start preparing your men for a fight in the near future. Alert the other captains as well. I would like it if you and the others are ready to move in-" he broke off in mid-sentence as another vision flashed across his eyes.

"Sir?"

"Damn it! Why the heck does he always have to act like such a-" catching himself at the last minute, Nixon turned to the bewildered captain once again. "I'm sorry; it appears as though I am needed elsewhere. Please alert the council that there is a matter of great urgency I wish to discuss with them before sundown. Word must not leak out to the civilians yet, but alert all the Captains. I will be in touch with you soon." He didn't bother to wait for a response, instead hurrying onward to where his vision had come from. He wondered if he would be able to stop yet another disaster from occurring, but hoped that even if he was late, he would still be able to bring it to a swift end. Heaven knew that they already had enough problems to deal with without this one being added to their plate as well.

Racing through the pyramid towards the room he had been avoiding like the plague for the last few days, Nixon prayed he would be able to make it there on time. However, the gods seemed to have had a personal vendetta against him, for they were not answered and he found upon entering a rather horrifying sight.

Fai's magic was pulsating wildly, the dark blue streaks almost tearing his natural blue aura apart, Kurogane and Sakura's auras red with alarm and worry. He could hear Fai's laughter, loud and disturbing and while it did explain part of the reason for their alarm, he was more worried about the cause of what had triggered Fai's fit of insanity.

"What the heck is going on in here that-" he growled irritably as he strode through the doors, but the full extent of what was going on hit him the minute he was over the threshold. Confusion, fear, uncertainty…it all slammed into him with the force of a herd of raging northern bullhorns and he had to slam a magical shield around himself to keep from losing himself in the tumultuous storm of emotions. "Fai!" he gasped, almost crashing to his knees as he tried to keep the barrier around him.

"Fai-san is having another fit, but his magic is too wild." Sakura cried, half panicking as Nixon _saw_ her magic struggling to subdue Fai and failing. "It keeps overwhelming me and I can't stop him."

Extending the shield outwards, he used it to protect the princess as he climbed to his feet, taking charge of the situation because unlike the blonde's dimension travelling companions, Nixon knew what had gone wrong.

"Kurogane, help me hold him down." He ordered the ninja, weaving up a spell to help bring down the half-vampire's strength to a controllable level. "Sakura, when I tell you to, use a spell to bind him."

Fai was screaming like a madman, his garbled words mixed with crazed laughter that chilled Nixon to the bone. Ignoring the fear welling up in his heart, he grabbed hold of the blonde's thrashing legs just as Kurogane gripped his shoulders to hold him down. The stench of blood was thick so close to him, and Nixon could hear the sickening sound of flesh being ripped apart as the magician used his own claws to tear at it.

"Now, Sakura!" Nixon yelled just as Kurogane pulled Fai's hands away from his chest. Fai's flailings increased in intensity and one of his kicking feet almost unhinged Nixon's jaw, causing him to lose his concentration on the spell lowering Fai's strength.

"Nixon-san, his magic is fighting back." Sakura grunted as Fai's laughter grew to insanely loud levels. The blonde's back arched off the bed as his body contorted and twisted this way and that, his claws swiping across Kurogane's metallic arm.

"Leave it to me." Nixon doubled the concentration of his spell, hoping to keep the magician down for good this time. Fai's magic may have been strong enough to almost rival the Oracle's, but in his current state, with his mind not being able to focus on anything, it was not impossible to subdue him, even if it did prove a hell of a lot difficult to accomplish. "Keep going with that binding spell, Princess." They needed to lock his vampire side away before doing anything else, out of fear that he would hurt himself or one of them unknowingly. The blue began to recede inside his body slowly as Sakura's warm, pink glow began to envelop him, pushing inside, slowly moving deeper and deeper, pulling in his claws as it went.

"Let me go!" Fai was yelling at the top of his lungs. It was a wonder he had not torn out his throat by now. "Please stop it! Killmekillmekillme!"

Sakura's spell seemed to have worked as his thrashing died down to violent shudders. Though Fai's chest was heaving with every breath he took, his hoarse screams turning to silent murmurs, still Nixon and Kurogane held him down, fearing a relapse.

"I've bound his claws for now." Sakura reassured them, finally deeming it fit to approach the men as she cast a sleeping spell. "He shouldn't be able to use them for a while again."

"What the fuck happened to him?" Kurogane exploded, his fingers still gripping the blonde's arms as Nixon saw his aura change colors from alarm to confusion and a hint of fear. Perhaps some part of the man was realizing the part he had played in this episode of Fai's. "Why did he keep asking me to kill him? And why was he laughing like that?"

"Whatever it was you said," Sakura spoke up before Nixon could say anything at all, "it must have triggered his fit, Kurogane-san."

"Whatever I must have said?" The man growled almost defensively in response and Nixon noticed how the princess drew back with the barest of flinches.

"Confronting a problem isn't always the best way to find a solution, Kurogane," he hissed acidly, finally pulling away from Fai as the blond fell into a fitful sleep, soft whimpers escaping his lips even as his self-inflicted wounds began to close up on their own.

"As opposed to letting the problem drive you into destroying yourself?" The ninja turned his attention towards him. "Forgotten your little episode in the catacombs, Oracle?"

"This is not about me," Nixon bristled.

"Oh yeah?" Kurogane challenged half-scathingly.

"Pushing someone to their limits just so _you_ can get the satisfaction of being the one who made them fight back is not always the best idea."

"Oh, so this is about me now?" the ninja took a threatening step towards him but Nixon stood his ground. He heard Sakura try to say something but he was too angry to let the girl speak.

"It was _your _bullheaded persistence that reduced Fai to this." Nixon gestured towards the sleeping man and Kurogane recoiled as though Nixon had physically hit him. "You pushed and pushed and pushed him without even realizing how fragile his mind was. Are you satisfied now?"

"Don't you fucking _dare_ pin the blame for this on me."Kurogane's fingers wrapped around his throat, squeezing his windpipe as the warrior lifted Nixon off the ground. "I did not-"

"Did not what?" Nixon half-choked, fighting to keep his magic from tearing the man apart for it could sense how the man was suffocating him. "Did not corner him when he clearly wasn't ready to talk? Did you really think he would still be the same man after everything he has been through? The old Fai might have gotten up and fought back, but this is _not_ him."

"Shut up!" the warrior snarled, throwing Nixon against the wall in anger.

"Kurogane-san! Nixon-san!" Sakura chose that moment to intervene as she wedged herself between the two and started trying to push them both away from each other. "Enough, both of you! Throwing petty accusations at each other like children isn't going to help Fai-san, and it certainly isn't going to help either of you with whatever issues you guys have!"

"You're right, Sakura," Nixon replied, climbing to his feet as Kurogane finally let him go. Taking a couple of steps away, Nixon could feel eyes on the back of his head as he massaged his bruised throat. "We have a much bigger problem."

-0-

"Does this have anything to do with your vision a few hours back?" Kurogane watched the man closely for any signs of alarm but the Oracle did not even so much as twitch as he calmly turned around to face him. Despite his earlier display of anger at Kurogane, the blind man seemed very much in control of his emotions, unlike the jumbled mess he had witnessed so far. Something had happened and for a brief moment, Kurogane wondered if that energy he had felt had been the spell the Oracle had been working on a few days back in the catacombs, but quickly dismissed the thought as the same urge to find the man that had gripped him then had not overcome him this time around. Perhaps the blind man had come to terms with whatever it was that had been troubling him?

"I'm afraid it does," the ex-Guardian replied. "The hunters have found a way to track the spell to Magihidusi and they're coming."

"How long do we have?" the princess asked worriedly, her gaze shooting towards the unconscious mage.

"Two days at most," came the answer, causing the girl to bite her lip.

"Is there any way to stop them?" Kurogane questioned, his own eyes shooting towards the blond who had suffered more than humanly possible at the hands of those monsters.

"If I had more time, I might have been able to shield the city itself, but as it is… we have no choice but to fight."

"What about that thing that turned you and the witch into Guardians? Isn't it strong enough to stop them?"

"The Shaman is cruel and inhumane." A dark looked crossed the man's face as he clenched his fists. "The price it has asked for in return is something I am not willing to pay."

Kurogane was rather irritated that the man was refusing to pay the price for a wish that could save them all so much trouble simply because he did not _feel_ like he could pay the price for it. The Oracle had the power to get the stupid thing to protect the whole city, yet he thought it better to fight the hunters instead? Not that Kurogane minded a chance to beat up their sorry asses, but to deliberately put so many people in danger? To deliberately put the kid and mage in danger?

"Can you summon the damn thing here? Maybe me and the princess could pay the price in your stead." the ninja decided to offer. The fact that the Oracle's words from earlier about how he was responsible for what had just happened still stung. Maybe pushing the mage into a confrontation had not been the smartest of ideas, but he'd be damned if he'd let something even worse happen to him now. If there was a way to help him, then he would do it in a heartbeat.

"Summoning the Shaman is not up for discussion." The Oracle said firmly, "I have called a meeting with the Elders to discuss plans for evacuation and possible relocation for the civilians. It would be best if we were to send Fai and Syaoran with them to safety, the princess and you too, if you wish. This is not your fight, after all, so it would be unfair of me to expect you to stay."

"I'm not going anywhere." Kurogane replied stubbornly, "The princess and the kid can take care of the mage and the other kid. The witch can probably go with them, too."

"Masooma is a Guardian," Nixon shook his head, looking like he'd give anything to change places with her even as he said it. "She can't leave the Essence unprotected."

"Who will tell Tsubasa about this?" the princess questioned softly, "And what about Fai-san? I don't think telling him about the hunters would be a smart idea."

"I will leave telling Tsubasa up to Masooma, since she is the one currently dealing with him. As for Fai…I agree. It would be best if he did not know about it, but to get him to stay calm enough when the hunters come knocking…I don't see how that's possible without keeping him sedated."

"His vampire blood will break down the sedatives too quickly for that to work." The princess shook her head. "Putting him to sleep using magic for a long time would be even more detrimental to his health."

"Then what do you suppose we should do?" To Kurogane it seemed like there really was no solution for that problem, but the princess was the High Priestess of her country. Maybe she knew of some sacred magic that could help them out with this problem.

"There is one spell…" she offered hesitantly, "but it's not fool proof."

"What is it?"

"I could lock away his memories of the past few days."She replied, looking a little unsure, as though afraid her plan might not work. "That should be enough to keep him from having another meltdown, so long as he doesn't come into contact with the instigator of his problems."

"Would he come back to his senses?"

"That all depends on him, but seeing how he was just now…I can't say for sure."

"Can't you permanently take those memories away? The time-space witch did the same with your other self, didn't she?"

"The price for something like that would be too high."Kurogane had to bite back a growl of frustration at that. It was irritating to find out that magic was not as magical as one would have liked it to be. All this talk of high prices and limitations and consequences made it seem so annoying. Though he had firsthand experiences with why the prices were needed and why it was limited, it did not mean he liked it. Stuff like this was annoying at the very least. "It would also render his recovery impossible. The spell is self-sustaining as it will use Fai-san's magic to power itself once it's in place, but it should die out in four days' time."

"Four days is good." Nixon declared with an approving nod."So spelling his memories away for a short while it is. Would you like to attend the council meeting?"

"Isn't that supposed to be only for the council members and the Guardians?" Kurogane quirked a brow, even though the man this question was directed at would not be able to see the gesture. "That's what you told us last time, or did you lie about that?"

"It is. But I will handle the council's objections. Your input might prove to be valuable, since Fai mentioned you have seen your fair share of battles."

"I'll come."

"And you, Princess?"

"I will too. But will it be wise to leave Fai-san on his own? I'm not sure when Syaoran-san will return."

"I will ask someone to come and watch over him." The Oracle promised as he turned to leave. "I need to talk to the captains for now, but I would like to discuss a few strategies with you after the meeting with the council. I will send someone for you when they have assembled."

"I guess I should get started on that spell, then."Sakura murmured as the door closed behind the Oracle's retreating back. "You shouldn't blame yourself for it, Kurogane-san." She added after a little while as the golden magic circle lit up underneath her feet as she started working on the spell to seal away the mage's memories. "Masooma-san diagnosed Fai-san with schizophrenia. What happened here was just one of the many episodes yet to come…"

"Even if he's sick," Kurogane sighed, pulling up a seat and settling down to indulge in his guilty pleasure of witnessing magic at work once again. "It doesn't change the fact that I was responsible for triggering this one."

"You did not know." The princess reasoned as golden tendrils snaked through the air, slowly pulsating as they attached to the magician's head one by one.

"I should have noticed it." He responded bitterly. The princess did not reply, for she was absorbed in her spellwork by now, leaving Kurogane to sit there and regret the part he had played in the blonde's descent to insanity, even if she said otherwise.

-0-

The meeting with the councilmen could have started out a lot better in Sakura's opinion, especially considering how the old men and women who comprised of the city's council had objected to Nixon, of all people, calling for a council meeting when he was no longer a Guardian, and then daring to bring in two foreigners to the meeting on top of that.

The Oracle had calmly reminded the members that he could very easily beat each and every one of them present there with one hand tied behind his back and it was because of that very strength that the Shaman had appointed him to that position in the first place. Just because he no longer held the status did not mean he did not have the power he previously possessed. Continuing in a very polite manner, he had subtly told them all to shut their mouths and listen to what he had to say, or risk getting killed at the hands of the hunters without him there to defend them.

There had been an outcry from the council members about how they had even come to locate the city that had served as a haven for the magi for the past five hundred years, before someone accused Nixon as the fool that had led to their discovery. Nixon had calmly listened to the councilors shout and accuse him of being foolish enough to go and rescue a lost cause- for they had received reports of how that foreign magician was now insane. Sakura took note of how fast the news travelled around the city, but then realized they probably had people watching them at all times, and with the way Fai had been screaming, they were bound to have heard him.

Nixon had not even batted an eyelash when talks of punishing him and having him exiled began. Sakura ended up protesting about the unfairness of it all because really, wanting to exile someone for breaking a stupid rule like abandoning their loved ones if they were ever captured by hunters was just plain ridiculous. Was this how they had run this city for so long? Baalkon, one of the oldest council members, had merely scoffed and said that a mere _child_ –and a foreigner at that, too- could not even begin to comprehend how a city was to be run. When Nixon only shot her a wry smile in response to the councilman's exclamation, Sakura took it as the okay to let her station be known to these old fools who were so set in their old traditions they could not see the way their culture was slowly dying out.

"I am the Crown Princess to the throne of Clow," she had said frostily, drawing herself to her full height to impress her regality upon them. She couldn't help but take note of the way some of their eyes strayed to the scars on her face- from the time Fai had lashed out at her in his sleep- and she had to stomp down on the urge to shy away. "I have been raised and trained my whole life in how to run the affairs of an entire _country,_ so do not insult me by dismissing me as a mere child who knows nothing about the running of a mere city." The council had all looked a little taken aback by her declaration, now looking at _her _instead of the scars on her face. Nixon had chosen that moment to put in his two cents.

"The man with Princess Sakura is the courtesan of Princess Tomoyo of Nihon country, a very powerful miko of her own right. This man also happens to be the captain of the royal guard and also one of the most powerful warriors in his world. The 'lost cause', as you have called him," Here his voice had taken on a frosty edge, showing just how much patience and love he had held for the council, "happens to be a prince and a court mage of the highest station in my home world. The boy that came with Princess Sakura and the warrior Kurogane is a direct descendant of Clow Reed. I am sure you all can understand the repercussions Magihidusi would face if any of these foreign dignitaries are slighted."

Seemingly miffed and put in their place for the time being, the older members all quieted down while a comparatively younger member stood up and apologized to the pair on behalf of the entire council before offering Sakura and Kurogane a seat. Sakura was a little surprised about how Nixon had known so much about them all when it was quite clear from the look on Kurogane's face that he had not yet told anyone about courting Tomoyo, least of all Nixon.

The same council member, a middle-aged man by the name of Nebean, then asked Nixon to elaborate on how the hunters had come about to locating the city in the first place. What had followed had been a lengthy discussion interspersed with the older members(mainly Baalkon and a woman and a man that Sakura mentally decided to call Pointy Nose and Squinty Eyes respectively because really, these people were annoying enough to make her resort to giving them silly names in her head) who kept on making outrageous accusations every now and then, though Nebean and other younger members of the council managed to curb them before the issue could escalate. Still, despite their support, it still took Nixon over three hours to get their approval to have complete command of the Magi defense and patrol force as well as get their assent to have the civilian population relocated to the catacombs until the threat was dealt with.

Issues with gathering supplies, crowd control and defense arose, among other things, as well as possible means to misdirect and stave off the impending hunter army. Sakura offered her services as a healer for the injured and Kurogane agreed to help guard the Essence and lead some of the troops that were to act as decoys for the hunters. Nixon only laid out a rough outline of his plans before the council, but after grueling them for another two hours they were finally allowed to exit the meeting chambers. Nixon offered them the choice of going back to their quarters to rest for the night, but once Kurogane learnt that the blind man was going to go ahead and flesh out the plans for their counterattack and defense of Magihidusi, he declared he would be going with the Oracle.

There was nothing Sakura wanted more than to be able to go back to her room and sleep for a little while, but…Seeing the two men head down towards the barracks, however, Sakura pushed her tiredness away and followed after them. They were going to do this for Tsubasa and Fai's safety, and she wanted to be a part of it. She could see the approval in Kurogane's gaze as he allowed her to enter the barracks before him with a small nod, causing a bit of a silly grin to break out on her face for a brief moment despite the seriousness of the situation. Little did she know that on the other side of the pyramid, a certain blond magician was finally waking up once again...

_**A/N: Next chapter is when we finally get around to seeing Tsubasa's reaction to the truth so leave loads of reviews. ;) ;) Here's a little bit of sneak peak at what to expect**_

_Sakura-chan never told me your situation had been this bad._ His father said solemnly as the memory faded away and Tsubasa had to bite inside of his cheek to keep from breaking down into hysterics.

"What do you think I would have done?" he replied bitterly.

_I never thought you had it in you to ever tell her to kill herself._ Syaoran said quietly.

"And I never thought you'd try to kill Fai-san…" he laughed though there was no humor behind it.

_I was just so angry…_ the brunette murmured as he brought up his bloodless hands and stared at them as though he could still see the blood flowing down the palms of his hands.

"And I was just too scared and tired." Tsubasa replied softly.

_**So yeah, there you have it. Please leave lots of reviews to motivate me into updating quicker because trust me when I say this, I have a couple of crazy busy weeks coming up ahead for me and I will need all the motivation I can get. **_


	53. Basket Case II

_**A/N: The moment you have all been waiting for a long time is finally here~ SoI hope you guys enjoy this update. **_

Masooma staggered back to her quarters, feeling rather exhausted, the day's activities having taken their toll on her. Letting her hair out of the still damp braid she had pulled it into earlier, she used her fingers to work out some of the tangles before letting it fall behind her back as she walked past her bed and through the corridor that led to Tsubasa's room. The brunette appeared to be sound asleep but there were no signs of his father anywhere. Thinking that maybe the spirit had gone back sometime during her talk with Sakura, Masooma set up a spell around Tsubasa that would wake her when the brunette came to and walked back to her room. she only ever managed to get her shoes off her feet before falling into her bed and falling asleep, her dreams plagued with adorable little Fais sporting cat ears chasing around green eyed kittens and brown coated puppies with angry red-eyed black dogs barking at all of them.

-0-

Tsubasa could only stare at his father as his words finally began to sink in.

_Sakura-chan never hurt you…_

"Sakura… she never…" he stuttered breathlessly, eyes wide, face pale and legs boneless as he took a couple more staggering steps away from the spirit and sank to the ground.

_It was the drugs that made you think it was them. _Syaoran said kindly but Tsubasa flinched as though he had been physically hit. As his shock began to wear out, anger started taking its place, guilt battling for a spot just as ferociously as he remembered the last words he had ever said to her. His surrounding shifted off their own accord to that day in the infirmary when he had last spoke to the princess.

"_What will it take? Tell me Syaoran." The jade-eyed princess begged, "Why won't you believe me? That girl wasn't me!" _

_The Tsubasa in the bed did not look much better than him but then again, it had to have only been a week since they had had this conversation. He was still trying to piece everything together but now the puzzle pieces had fit together with a lot more clarity now that he had a few more clues. "I have been trying so hard to make you believe me but you… what will it take?" she looked so desperate as she stared at him with bloodshot eyes, "Tell me? What cant I do to make you believe it wasn't me who hurt you?"_

_He could almost tell what had happened to him though he deliberately refused to push in the last few pieces to complete the picture. He was already beginning to hate himself for what he had done. He wasn't sure how he would be able to live with himself once the complete truth unraveled itself._

"…_Kill yourself."_

"_W-what?" the shock and betrayal that danced across her face could never have been faked. Why had he ever even _thought_ that person that hurt him had been the same as the princess that now stepped away from his memory self as though he had just told her to kill herself? No wait, he _had_ just done that._

"_You heard me. Kill yourself." He had been so callous. So uncaring… so cold. He could almost hear Sakura's restraints break as she drew herself to her full height._

"_fine! If that's what it will take then…" she grabbed a surgical scalpel from one of the drawers and held it above her own chest, "fine!"_

"_Do it." He had been so cold… so very cold… how could he have ever claimed to have been in love with her? "I dare you."_

_Sakura-chan never told me your situation had been this bad._ His father said solemnly as the memory faded away and Tsubasa had to bite inside of his cheek to keep from breaking down into hysterics.

"What do you think I would have done?" he replied bitterly once he managed to get his panic under control. She hadn't gone through with it. He had only seen her a few days ago. She had been walking around with Kurogane… But Fai had not been there. Fai had not been there ever since he had been pulled out of that crate in the dungeons! Why had he never noticed the blond's absence before? The man had almost literally taken his place during whatever rescue mission Kurogane and Fai had come up with. Questions about why he had not come with them in the first place flashed across his mind but his thoughts were too much of a mess for him to be able to dwell on it for long.

_I never thought you had it in you to ever tell her to kill herself._ Syaoran said quietly.

"And I never thought you'd try to kill Fai-san…" he laughed though there was no humor behind it and for half a minute his father seemed too shocked to be able to say anything else. The truth had not yet completely sunk in and for some reason Tsubasa still felt rather detached from everything even as he stood inside his mind discussing the truth.

_I was just so angry…_ the brunette murmured as he brought up his bloodless hands and stared at them as though he could still see the blood flowing down the palms of his hands.

"And I was just too scared and tired." Tsubasa replied softly.

_You shouldn't blame yourself Tsubasa, _Syaoran approached him slowly. His father's touch felt almost ghostlike but it was warm when he placed the palm of his hand on top of his head. _Now that you know the truth, you can make up with them again. Sakura-chan and Kurogane-san won't hold it against you. They know why you did it._

"Knowing why I did it, does not make it okay that I did."

_So what? _His tone was firm causing Tsubasa to look up, _Are you going to wallow in misery now? Shouldn't you try and make things right with them?_

"It's easier said than done…" Tsubasa replied, looking away. "I know it wasn't them but… I don't think I can- I'm not ready to- I just can't…"

_Sakura-chan and Kurogane-san are really worried about you, you know? Even Fai-san…_

"How is Fai-san?" Tsubasa could almost feel his father's disappointed gaze upon him but he wasn't ready to talk about Sakura and Kurogane just then. He… he needed time… after spending so long thinking they had turned on him only to suddenly find out it had never been them all along… He couldn't just flip a switch and be okay with everything in a heartbeat. He was a little surprised at how easy it had been for him to believe his father's words when everyone else had been telling him the same all along but maybe it had not been Syaoran's words that he had believed but the memories he had seen. And then again, a tiny infinitesimal part of him had always hoped that all that torment and pain had been a lie. Even if he had silenced its voice long ago, it had still been there.

_He was asking about you earlier when he woke up._

"If he was asking about me… Is he okay now? He doesn't… he doesn't fear Masooma-san like I…" he trailed off.

_No. He doesn't. The drugs did not work on him like they did on you._

"They didn't?" Tsubasa could not keep the slight bitterness out of his tone as he asked the question, causing Syaoran to look at him with an indecipherable expression on his face. "I saw him in the memory. He thought that that was-"

_They stopped working once his vampire half awakened completely,_ Syaoran shook his head sadly, _but I wish they had._

"Why?"

_That woman… what she did to him when he fought back… _Syaoran's expression growing dark and murderous as he trailed off. _I'm just glad Kurogane-san and Sakura-chan came when they did._ Surprise flittered across his father's face as he suddenly looked down at his chest and then back at Tsubasa. _I think you're about to wake up. _Even as he said this, a smoke began surrounding him, dissolving his body where ever it touched.

"Wait!" Scared that his father was about to leave him on his own again, Tsubasa tried to grab his arm, only for his fingers to pass through smoke as his father gave him a small smile.

_Don't worry. I'll be there when you wake up. _And then he was gone, leaving Tsubasa alone inside his head. It felt like hours went by before he finally felt the faint stirrings of consciousness return to him. his eyelids felt heavy as though weighed down by lead when he tried to pry them open. The light in the room had been dimmed out a little but he could still make out a pair of familiar amber eyes looking down at him.

"Father." He murmured, feeling relief at having the brunette by his side.

The spirit offered him another smile as he helped him sit up, arranging the pillows behind his back to support him a little better. Tsubasa wondered how his father had gotten his body back when the door to his room slowly swung open to reveal Masooma. The witch's hair was in a bit of a disarray and Tsubasa wondered if she had only just woken up.

"You're awake." She said, slowly walking in before he gaze travelled to Syaoran and confusion flashed across her face. "When did you get here? I didn't hear you come in…"

_I've been here for a while now Masooma-san. You were not in your room at the time._

"That's not right." She frowned, "I've been in my room for almost six hours now and I came to check on Tsubasa before that and he was alone."

_I'm not sure how to explain what happened but, Tsubasa reabsorbed me. I was with him all this time._

"Reabsorbed you?" alarm colored her tone, "you're not in danger of fading away or something are you? You can still be solid, right? This is bad if you start vanishing before-" Tsubasa felt panic grip his heart at the thought of losing his father after finally being able to talk to the man but a small chuckle from the brunette caused them both to look at the spirit.

_I feel fine Masooma-san. In fact, I haven't felt this great in ages. Tsubasa finally remembers everything. _He announced happily.

"Everything?" The witch looked at him for confirmation and he gave her a small nod. There were part still missing but it was slowly coming back to him now that he knew what had been locked away from him. "Oh that's great! Sakura will be so happy to hear that! She has been so worried about him and now that he- oh this is just amazing!" she was almost glowing with pleasure as she turned on her heels and almost ran to the door, "I'll go get her now. You obviously want to talk to her, right Tsubasa?"

"Actually, Masooma-san…" he started a little hesitantly, causing the witch to turn around and give him a curious look, "could you please…" he swallowed, "not tell anyone for now? I don't… I don't think I'm ready to face any of them for now."

"Oh…" leaving the door half open, she approached his bed again, settling down on his right. "Of course… I got ahead of myself in my excitement." She said a little soberly, "I won't tell anyone. Don't worry about it. Until you ask me to, I won't say anything. You don't feel a headache or anything right? Dizziness maybe?" she asked, going into healer mode as she traced out various diagnostic spells that latched onto different parts of his body. "What about you Syaoran? You feeling okay? He wasn't supposed to reabsorb you but maybe your proximity to the essence might have had a hand in that." It was as she asked these questions that Tsubasa's gaze was drawn by a flash of something near the half open doorway.

_I feel fine, Masooma-san._ Someone was standing just beyond the threshold and Tsubasa's breath caught in his throat as he recognized who it was. But what was he doing here?

"And you Tsubasa?" he heard the witch ask but he couldn't quite answer. "Tsubasa?"

"Fai-san?" he mumbled instead, for it was the blond that stood half concealed by the shadows.

"Fai?" Masooma quirked a brow, following the direction of his gaze even as she spoke, "He's not- here…" she trailed off when Fai walked in, looking a little unsure and hesitant. Tsubasa immediately took note of how short the blond had cut his hair. It was even shorter than his own. The next thing he took not of was that the blond was missing a shirt and there were some dark stains on his pants but apart from that he appeared- this bit Tsubasa noted with a little bit of jealousy- perfectly healthy. There was not a single scar on his pale skin to tell the tale of his misadventures, not a single injury or burn or anything really. He looked just like he had at the beginning of their journey when his father had first met the blond. Except for the short hair that is.

"Fai, what are you doing here?" Masooma asked softly as left Tsubasa's side and approached the blond, "You were supposed to be resting in your room." Fai did not appear to be hurt at all. There was nothing wrong with him and for a fraction of a second doubt began to cloud his thoughts. Had they lied to him about Fai? Had the memories been fake? But these thoughts were pushed out of his mind just as quickly as he noticed something not quite right with the scene before him. Fai was not injured but the blond was not smiling at him like he would have done before. The magician was not even looking at him, keeping his head lowered as he wrapped his fingers around Masooma's hand. He was acting as though he could not even see them.

"What did you say Fai?" Masooma asked softly, speaking like one might to a little child.

"Fai woke up and no one was there." He said a little louder, "So Fai looked but it was dark and Fai could not see." Why was he talking in third person? "Fai was scared so Fai looked for Masooma-chan but Masooma-chan was not there. So Fai looked for Nixon… but Nixon was not there… Fai was scared. Fai was alone. Why would they leave Fai alone? She… the woman from Fai's dream… the woman said Masooma-chan and Nixon hate Fai… Does Masooma-chan hate Fai now?"

"What?" Tsubasa heard Masooma's voice tremble before he saw he take both of Fai's hands in her own and offer him a small smile, "No of course not. I would never hate you."

_Masooma-san? _Tsubasa's tongue was stuck to the roof his mouth as he heard Fai speak but Syaoran had no problem asking the question racing through his head, _Why is he speaking like that?_

Masooma started to answer but Fai had looked up at the sound of Syaoran's voice and Tsubasa found himself held in place by the blond's inquisitive gaze, a small frown pulling down the sides of his lips as he seemed to struggle at recalling something. Tsubasa never did get to hear what the witch said as a suffocating silence seemed to envelop him, the only sound he could hear as Fai looked at him was his own breathing and the beating of his heart. Then the magician opened his mouth and the silence was shattered.

"Fai knows you…" the blond said as he almost made to approach Tsubasa but then seemed to think better of it as he remained by Masooma's side. "You are… Little Puppy! And that is… that is Bigger Little Puppy!" he looked a little confused again as he looked at the two of them, "But there was only one Little Puppy and now there are two Little Puppies… Why are there two Little Puppies, Masooma-chan?"

"Fai, the Little Puppy is Tsubasa," she told him gently, causing Fai to divert his attention towards her as though she was relaying all the secrets of the universe to him through those few words, "and the umm… Bigger Little Puppy is his father Syaoran." Fai half nodded, seemingly pondering on that point for a little while as Masooma turned around to look at Tsubasa apologetically. "I should probably take him back to his room. You didn't want anyone here but he somehow found his way here…" trailing off she turned to Fai, "hey Fai, how about we go to your room now, hmm?"

Fai seemed to think about that for a little bit too before giving her another slow nod, "Fai's room." was all he said as the witch started to lead him away. Tsubasa felt something wet on his face and he reached up to wipe it away, only to realize that somewhere during the episode, he had started crying. The familiar burn at the back of his throat was also there making him feel all choked up.

"No, Masooma-san, wait." He called out. The witch turned to look at him inquisitively. "I don't mind if Fai-san stays for a while. I'm just not ready to see K-Kurogane-san or Sakura-hi… Sakura right now."

"Fai knows you…" Fai spoke up again as though rousing from a deep thoughts as he looked at Tsubasa and Syaoran once again and Tsubasa could feel the burn intensify at the back of his throat as he struggled to keep from crying, "You are Little Puppy… and that is Bigger Little Puppy… Masooma-chan, there are two Little Puppies." He seemed to say as though such a thing was impossible for him to comprehend, "Little Kitty was so sad… so very sad when that bad people made the puppies vanish…"

The blond's mention of Little Kitty pulled at Tsubasa's heart strings in an unbearable way. He looked away, clenching his fists around the sheets that covered his useless legs. He bit the inside of his cheek to keep from letting out a bitter chuckle. What a fucked up fate they had. He got to keep his sanity only to lose his legs and Fai got to keep his legs but lost his sanity instead.

"Big Puppy got really mad too sometimes…" Fai added in a conspirational whisper.

_Umm… Masooma-san, I think you should just…_ Tsubasa heard his father say in an uncomfortable tone as he struggled to school his expression into something that he could show to the three people in that room with him and not have himself pitied for it.

Masooma seemed to pick up on it as she offered him a quiet 'yeah.' in response before beginning to lead Fai away. Tsubasa listened to the sound of their receding footsteps through the small corridor outside before the door on the other side was closed and their voices were completely muffled.

_Tsubasa? Are you okay son? _Syaoran asked tentatively and Tsubasa vaguely wondered what exactly defined the term okay? It was all just too much… too much…

"I'm fine Father." He managed to half choke, "do you mind if I… had some time to myself?"

_Of course not._ Was all the answer he got as he heard his father slowly leave his side and then leave the room.

-0-

Syaoran would be lying if he said it did not sting when Tsubasa asked him to leave him alone but seeing where he was coming from and having seen the way Fai was… he was pretty sure he would have done the same thing had he been in his son's place. Still, he could not exactly walk right through the door and invade on Fai's and Masooma's privacy since it appeared as though the pair had stopped right on the other side of the door to talk. Patiently, Syaoran decided to wait until they had left before coming out himself.

"Is Masooma-chan taking Fai to his room now?" he heard Fai say,

"Yes, Sakura will be worried about where you went. We shouldn't make her worry, should we?"

"But Fai woke up alone…" the blond replied softly, "and Fai waited and waited and waited but no one came. Fai does not want to go back to that room. Fai does not want to be left alone."

"But Fai-" whatever complaints the witch might have had to offer were cut off when the magician spoke up again, "Can Fai stay here with Masooma-chan?"

Syaoran had never heard Fai sound so wistful and vulnerable in his life as he did when he heard him ask that question.

"…sure."

"Fai wants to lie down…" he heard the shuffling of feet and the rustle of sheets as Masooma probably helped Fai into her bed. "Masooma-chan grew out her hair…" Syaoran really felt like he was invading on their privacy but his only other option was to go back to Tsubasa's room but he knew Tsubasa needed some space as well. "Fai thinks it's really pretty."

"Thanks Fai. Masooma-chan thinks Fai's short hair really suits him too." The witch replied in a cheerful voice and Syaoran wondered how she still had the strength to be so strong. There was silence on the other side for a little while before it was broken by Fai once again.

"Will Masooma-chan sing?"

More silence after the request and Syaoran almost thought she had not heard Fai's request but then she spoke. "What would you like to listen?"

"Something from home… Fai made it all shrink and grow smaller and smaller and then it was all gone…"

"Gone?" there was alarm in her tone. She didn't know Celes did not exist anymore?

"The curse made it vanish. Just like the bad man made the Little Puppies vanish and the Little Kitty was so sad and Big Puppy was so mad… Fai misses home… But home is gone. Will Masooma-chan sing a song from home?"

"My mother used to sing this to Naina when she was little. It was one of her favorite songs to sing." Masooma told Fai before she started to hum softly.

Syaoran felt the hair rise on his arms when she finally started to sing. The melody was soft and haunting with an almost otherworldly feel to it and it took Syaoran a moment to realize that he was playing audience to a Celesian folk song.

"_The stars, they shine so brightly_

_To mask the night so lightly_

_And the moon beam so softly veils_

_It's graceful light upon the dales_

_As snowflakes gently fall at last_

_To cover all within it's grasp_

_Pretty blooms - so new a face_

_Long for springtime's warm embrace_

_Lay your head down, go to sleep_

_May your dreams be ever sweet_

_For when the morning comes so fast_

_And the night has quickly passed_

_The sun will freshly greet_

_Another day for you to meet"_

Masooma began to hum once again and Syaoran opened his eyes, becoming conscious of the fact that somewhere during her singing, he had sat down, leaning his back against the very door that separated him from the pair on the other side. He dared not move when she stopped altogether though, afraid he'd be discovered by the witch by even the slightest of the ruffle of his clothes.

"Masooma-chan misses home too… but home is no more… Fai made it vanish. Fai did not mean to but Fai did…"the healer said nothing in response and the silence that settled all around them was once again shattered by Fai's quiet words. "Does Masooma-chan hate Fai now?"

"No…" she was crying and Syaoran realized that so was he. "Never."

_**A/N: I am seriously no good when it comes to poetry so I had a friend help me out with Masooma's Lullaby thing. I might be missing from the scene for a little while since we're moving to a different city in a few hours time and well I'm not sure how long it might be before we can get an internet connection at our new place. It can be anything from just a couple of days to as long as a fortnight so yeah… I figured it would not be fair to your guys if I vanished without a trace for that long and left you hanging on another partial cliffie so you all better be grateful ;P **_

_**Oh and to anyone who might be wondering why Fai has suddenly switched to third person while talking, his mind is a big mess right about now, what with half his memories locked away thanks to Sakura's spell and with everything else piled on top, the personality dissociation thing has been taken to a new level. My beta found him rather adorable in this chapter and she said she really wanted to hug him. I'm curious, who else wants to give him a hug? You will probably get to see a bit more of this version of Fai in the future chapter since he's really fun to write ^_^**_

_**By the way if you found any mistakes while reading, please know that this chapter has not yet been beta-read but I will replace this with the corrected version when I get it myself. Leave lot of reviews since the action starts next chapter… or well the chapter after that most definitely. Preperations for the upcoming attack get underway and Tsubasa tries to deal with his feelings now that he knows everything and guilt and shame begins to set in.**_


	54. Baring My Soul

_**A/N: Finally an update. I wanted this chapter to be a little longer and have a few more things happen in it but sadly I damaged my laptop screen during the move to our new place and before I could have it repaired, the hinges snapped off completely so now I have to resort to borrowing my cousin's laptop to put up what I had written before mine broke. I'm hoping I can have it repaired sometime soon this week but if not… it might be a while before the next update I'm afraid. Anywho, bad news aside, I hope you enjoy this chapter all the same. Drop me a review and tell me what you think. ;)**_

Masooma woke up to the pleasant scent of snow and sunshine mixed with something masculine, with a hint of vanilla and something sweet. Smiling a little in her half-asleep state, she turned over and tried going back to sleep, wondering vaguely about the warmth that she could feel pressed up against her side. She moved her hand to get a feel of it and immediately froze up when she touched bare flesh. Eyes flying open and breath catching in her throat, she shot up, wildly looking around to get an idea of where she was. The familiar walls of her bedroom greeted her, making her pause as her gaze slowly drifted to Fai's peacefully sleeping form. She was rather surprised to note that for once the blond was not sleeping facedown like she had come upon him so many times before but on his side, his back to the wall and body curled up in a half-fetal position as though instinctively trying to protect himself from being hurt again, his face partially hidden under one arm.

Her thoughts drifted back to the events of the previous night as her eyes traced the ridges of his spine, slowly taking in the powerful muscles of a predator that formed his well-toned chest. She could see the tips of the vampire claws hidden beneath his normal nails and she knew if she were to part his lips at that instant she would see the shrunken-yet-sharpened canines that she had felt when they kissed. At the smallest hint of a threat, the canines would emerge and the claws would grow and she would play witness to one of nature's deadliest creations. It was rather ironic that such a powerful creature could actually be the same person that had childishly leaned against her side as she had sung the Celesian lullaby before drifting off to sleep with his head resting in her lap.

She heard a soft knock against her door before it was pushed open and Nixon stepped inside. The Oracle turned his sightless eyes in her direction as he walked over to her desk and pulled out the chair before seating himself.

"I could have been asleep, you know." She said irritably, only causing the blind man to smile at her, though she could spot a little bitterness in his gesture even though his body posture betrayed nothing of the sort.

"I waited an hour outside your door for you to wake up." He replied softly, "I wouldn't be much of an Oracle if I couldn't even tell whether you were still asleep or not."

"If the esteemed Oracle came in person and even deemed fit to wait for an entire hour outside my humble doorway," she said stiffly, refusing to let her heart melt at the sight of his face, "I suppose it was something important or his Oracleness would have just sent one of his followers to pass along the message like he has so far. It would be rude of me to keep you from your important duties much longer than I already have, so I will just let you get the ordeal over with."

"You are a cruel woman, Masooma," the man murmured in response, "I wish it was possible to lock away everything that I feel for you, but if I were to do that, I wouldn't be the man I am today."

She could see the direction this conversation was going to take and for the life of her, she could not decide whether she wanted him to continue speaking or not. Fai was right _there,_but… if Nixon did not get it all out in the open, they would not be able to go back to the way they were before, or ratheranything even close to that because going back to how it used to be was now an impossibility. Things had changed too much for that. Unable to say anything, she continued to listen instead.

"To simply bar what I have felt for you for the past forty-five years would be like erasing a part of myself and even if I wanted to, I could never do that." His eyes locked in on hers, even if he couldn't exactly see her, "I know now is not the right time, but then again, that's what I always told myself. That night in Celes, at the party when you danced with Fai, getting jealous over the attention all the other women had been paying your master. Then again when you almost killed yourself with that transportation when you came to wish me luck right before the final task. I said that to myself so many times, I can't even recall the exact amount. By the time I finally plucked up the courage to decide that the time was right," he chuckled condescendingly, dropping his head a little, "it was already too late."

"Nixon," she realized right then that she did not, in fact, want him to continue what he was saying. It would be better to pretend she did not know than to hear him say it to her. Lying to herself that it did not hurt was a lot easier that way. "Please don't say it." She pleaded, tearing her gaze away from his lowered face.

"Just let me say it once." She flinched, closing her eyes at the sound of his voice. His tone was soft but he might as well have screamed at her in rage, "I don't want to die knowing I never even got to tell you."

Biting her lip, she remained silent, dreading what she was about to hear but perhaps his sixth sense had alerted him to her trepidation for he sighed, prolonging the silence that carried on between them. One of Fai's hands snaked across the mattress towards hers, his thin fingers entwining with hers as he pulled her hand a little closer to himself though he kept on sleeping, oblivious to the conversation that was taking place right beside him.

"I lost any chance I might have ever had with you that night when I chickened out for the first time." He chuckled in that bitter manner once more, letting her know that he had _seen_ what Fai had just done. "I never told you how beautiful you looked that night at the party, dressed in that silver gown with your favorite sneakers, breaking the dress code when you refused to wear those 'killer' heels." She couldn't help but laugh along with him at that joke, even if the sound that escaped her lips was weak and almost pathetic, "I never... I never ever told you how I really felt about you." He paused, as if waiting for her to tell him to stop again, but Masooma felt like she had completely lost her voice as he laid his soul bare to her.

"We always used to joke about how everyone said we would end up together, back home, but a part of me had always hoped we really _would_." She drew in a sharp breath as he continued, pretending not to have heard her. "We both went to Celes and I played host to your rants about how much you hated your Master. As time went by, I watched your admiration for him grow, slowly turning into something more and more as I lost you little by little each day, but I never worked up the courage to say it." He paused once more, the silence slowly growing longer. She did not want him to say it but her voice had abandoned her completely. She opened her mouth once but then snapped it shut when no words came out, only to try again and again.

"I love you." Her breath caught in her throat and she felt Fai's grip tighten on her hand, as though despite being asleep the blond knew what was going on at some level.

"Nixon…" she finally managed to choke out, feeling her eyes burn as the man spoke up a little louder than before.

"I know. I know." He laughed again, his laughter sounding fragile and fake as though he himself could not believe he was laughing when he should have been crying, "I'm forty-five years too late. I just had to tell you once, just so I did not have any regrets."

"Quit talking like you're going to die!" she almost screamed in anger, finally managing to gain control of her vocal chords, "I know you're not stupid enough to go and kill yourself. Not even over something like this…right?" she couldn't help but add weakly as her own belief in the blind man began to shake. What if…what if that was exactly what he was…

"I'm not going to kill myself." He told her firmly, "I know I don't stand a chance with you, but you are still my best friend and I still think of Fai as a brother. I'm not just going to abandon the two of you."

"Then why are you acting like this?" she cried, "Why are you telling me all this now? What is it that has you feeling like you'll never have another chance?"

"I never intended on saying anything to you at all," He said, shaking his head as he heaved a sigh and turned away from her. "It just came out on its own…I actually came to explain the reason why I freaked out so much the other day."

"You had a vision." She supplied. If Nixon took note of the way her voice quivered he made no mention of it.

"Our plan to get Fai out of the Complex had involved us breaking in, grabbing him, breaking out before vanishing somewhere in the city and then hightailing it back here using a transportation spell." The Oracle told her, "unfortunately, things did not go according to plan, and circumstances made it so that we had to directly get back to Magihidusi right from the Complex and since space magic can be traced from its origin to the destination…" he trailed off, allowing Masooma to connect the rest of the dots.

"The hunters have located Magihidusi…" she gasped, feeling the earth slip out from right underneath her feet as she stared helplessly at the Oracle before looking down at the shell of the man she loved. "They will be able to get inside and if they come here, then I'm the only Guardian left so…I will have to defend the Essence and…" her breathing sped up, alternate waves of hot and cold travelling all over her body, "Fai and Tsubasa and…I… Nixon, I-I… oh God… oh God…"

"Hey, Masooma, calm down." He was gripping her shoulders, forcing her to look at his spark-less eyes as he spoke firmly, "Breathe, alright? You're not alone. We still have two days before they get here and I've got a plan. I told you I'm not going anywhere, so why are you having a panic attack? You've got the Oracle at your beck and call."

She laughed at that, a touch of hysteria in her tone. "As if things were not bad enough already…"

"Masooma, nothing has changed." The oracle assured her, "Calm down."

"It changes everything." She cried, "Mokona is out of commission and Fai is in no state to get them out. Tsubasa is too weak to use his magic, Syaoran is still reliant on the Essence to even remain tangible and Sakura told me she doesn't know how to use a trans-dimensional spell. Kurogane has no magic. You have to get them all as far away from here as possible. I don't care which world you take them to, but you need to leave here as soon as possible. I can't leave without dying but you can protect everyone else, right?"

"You're not going to die, Masooma." He sounded a little angry as he told her that. "And I'm not leaving you to face those bastards on your own. I have a plan to take care of everything. I only thought you should know about the upcoming attack since you're the sole Guardian now." He said, climbing to his feet as he made to leave.

Taking in deep breaths to calm herself a little, she looked at his receding back, finally plucking up the courage to say something that might alienate Nixon from her and Fai…probably forever. "You do know confessing all this to me and staying by my side to help changes nothing."

He froze, his back stiffening a little, though he did not turn around to face her again. Then again, it wasn't like he would have been able to see the tears streaming down her face even if he had. "You kissed me. And right after that you started hiding from me. When you do finally work up the courage to face me," she saw him flinch at that, "and I try to set things right with you, you tell me it was all nothing but a mistake." She saw his fists clench at that.

"You vanish off the face of the earth right after that and the only clues I even have to you still being here were your constant messages through Numero or Violetta." She spat, "When you finally saw me again, you acted as if I was something that did not even deserve a moment of your time, and now you show up out of nowhere, baring your soul and telling me you love me? The man _I_ love is asleep right here and you…You….Do you think this is easy for me?" she sputtered in anger, "Knowing what you've told me and still having to choose between you and him every time? Even now that you claim you don't stand a chance with me, you're still hoping I might actually change my mind, aren't you?"

The lowering of his head at that was all the answer she needed. She crossed her arms with a scoff, turning away so she did not have to look at him as he stood there…defeated and lost. "Atleast you had the decency to take his feelings on the matter into consideration, seeing as he's slept through it all… or rather, was made to sleep through it all."

"…There might have been a time when I could have reciprocated your feelings, but it's like you said…"Her words were soft but still they seemed to ring in the silent room, "You waited too long..." She paused, waiting for him to say something in response. The silence was suffocating, almost choking, yet he did nothing except stand there with his shoulders hunched in defeat.

"None of that matters anymore because… I'm in love with _Fai_. I love _him._ Even if he may never be the man I fell for back in Celes…" she gently brushed the blonde's hair away from his face, "I don't think I can ever stop loving him."

"You said I was cruel, and maybe you were right." She finally continued, "Given the choice between you and him, I will still choose him. I will always choose him. I'm sorry, Nixon, but I don't love you the way you want me to and I never will. I know you've wanted to say that to me for a long time and that might even be the reason why you've stuck by my side all this time, but… I love _Fai. _I'd be lying if I said I wish I could say otherwise and I know that after everything else that I have put you through, you deserve the truth. I'm sorry, but you're not him and…I'm sorry…" she finished helplessly.

"The saddest thing is,"he murmured, slowly making his way towards the door, "I know exactly what you mean. And you know what makes it even worse?" he paused over the threshold, "I'm not gonna stop loving you." And with that, he was gone.

_**A/N: So Nixon hijacked this chapter. I've noticed a pattern here. Everytime it's his POV, he tends to con his way into having way more screentime that I have actually planned for him. Despite the fact that this whole confrontation was not meant to take place here, I can't help but like the way this chapter (or half chapter) turned out. Masooma was a little harsh with him but it had to be done. Better to tell him the truth than to string him along for nothing, no?**_

_**Okay so since I cant exactly reply to anonymous reviews via PM, I'm gonna reply to the two reviews I got for the previous chapter over here. Since both anon reviewers called themselves Anonymous, I'll be putting parts of their reviews here. **_

Anonymous: why did the... Er... Bad guys attempt to kill Fai before they extracted his magic? If he was killed, then wouldn't the magic die with him.

_**The bad guys don't know about the whole deal with Fai's magic dying when he dies. And the bad guys actually wanted to extract the magic **_**before**_** he died though they weren't exactly invested in keeping him alive afterwards. I'm pretty sure if they had known about the death of magic thing, they would have been a lot more careful. ;) **_

Anonymous : I'm glad Tsubasa has finally regained his memories and accepted them. I'm  
still pretty bummed about the whole paralysis thing though. Is that really  
gonna last?

_**Well I **_**might**_** have something in mind for Tsubasa's condition. I can't tell you what it is just yet though but just know that I won't leave him crippled for life. Well, Kuro does play a part in their recovery as well eventually. But how that would happen is something I want to keep a surprise for now. ;) I'm glad you enjoyed the story so much and I hope you will continue to do so in the future. Did Nixon manage to win you over yet? ^_^; You have no idea how much it pleases me to hear someone tell me that even though they usually tend to dislike OCs, mine are the exceptions. I'll go on ahead and do a bit of shameless advertising over here. Since you liked Masooma and will hopefully come to like Nixon as well ( *wink wink* ) I think you might enjoy another fic of mine with OCs. It's called Full Circle. The link and summary can be found on my profile so if you've got some time, do check it out.**_

_**Now with the review replies out of the way, I'll just go ahead and mention that next chapter will involve preparations for the impending Hunter attack, Sakura will finally get to be badass with her swords once more and Syaoran will come to a realization regarding the kiss.**_


	55. Bold Decisions

_**A/N: After a long wait, I am finally back. Hopefully for good this time. I'm sorry but I had a very serious case of writer's block and it wasn't until recently that I could write again. Hopefully, the length of this chapter would make up for the long wait. An anonymous reviewer and a reader named Zephyr raised some valid questions last chapter and I have tried to answer those to the best of my ability in this chapter. Still, the points that I did not elaborate on would be this '**_ Sakura is the all powerful princess of Clow who can transcend time and space whenever there's a need to save her companions and whenever she want to. She is even the favored daughter of the Gods so they'll gonna win because of Sakura's presence, have you forgotten that? Its only her clone who sacrificed her good luck as a payment to the dimentional witch .. '

_**While I **_**could**_** use Sakura's power as an excuse to help them all win the upcoming battle, I did not want to use her as a dues-ex-machina to resolve all conflict in a single chapter. Nixon is powerful enough to rival Yuuko, magically speaking but even he can't beat the hunters on his own. Similarly, Sakura is really strong but even she has limits on what she can and cannot do. Sakura is still very powerful but she still hasn't learnt how to completely control her abilities yet for reasons explained in this chapter. Her good luck will pay a major role in keeping her alive in the fight that is to come though. ;) **_

_**With all that out of the way, I hope you guys enjoy this update. Drop me a review and lemme know what you guys think.**_

_**Edit: Beta'd Version**_

Magic flared inside Fai's veins, struggling to fight against the spell that kept him asleep. Something was not right. Fai could… Fai could feel her pain. Masooma… she was sad. Even if his eyes refused to obey his command to open, his fingers slowly sought out her hand and curled around it, squeezing gently in reassurance. Fai was there. He was with Masooma. She would not be sad for long, but… Fai could _feel _Masooma's distress.

Something bad was happening to her. But Fai could not wake up. Why… Why could he not wake up? Fai's magic fought the spell keeping him asleep but it was not strong enough. He was falling and falling and falling and he could not wake up and then Fai was… Fai was gone…

He woke with a jolt as though he had been dropped into a lake full of icy water. The spell keeping him asleep was gone. Fai could open his eyes and… Masooma was sad. Why was she sad? Fai was there with her.

"Masooma-chan?"

"Oh, Fai, you're awake." Masooma smiled at Fai but he knew the smile was not real. Her eyes were red and her face was wet. Masooma was sad.

"Masooma-chan is crying."

"Huh? Oh, no." she laughed. She looked sad, but she was laughing and smiling. Why was she laughing? She should not be smiling when she was sad. "No, I'm not crying. I just had… something in my eye."

"Fai does not want Masooma-chan to pretend Masooma-chan is okay. Fai knows Masooma-chan is sad so Masooma-chan should show it when Masooma-chan is sad… Did Nixon make Masooma-chan cry? Is that why Masooma-chan looks so sad? Even Masooma-chan's smile is sad."

"What makes you think Nixon was here?"

She looked almost scared now. Did Masooma think Nixon would hurt her if Fai knew Nixon was there? Fai would not let Nixon hurt her. Fai would not let anyone hurt Masooma. Because Fai was there, and he would keep her safe. And when Masooma was safe, she would not be sad anymore.

"Nixon made Fai sleep. Fai did not want to sleep because Masooma-chan was sad but the spell made Fai sleep and Fai could not wake up. And now Masooma-chan is sad but Masooma-chan is smiling. But Fai knows Masooma-chan is pretending to be happy when Masooma-chan is not. Fai knows because Fai used to smile like that. Masooma-chan's smile is pretty when she is happy. It is sad when Masooma-chan is not. Masooma-chan should tell Fai when she is sad."

"Okay Fai," She smiled her sad smile again, "I'll tell you when I'm sad then."

He felt bad because he could not make Masooma happy. Fai wanted her to be happy because he was going to keep her safe. Fai was not going to leave her alone. Ever.

"Fai wants to make Masooma-chan smile her pretty smile because Fai likes Masooma-chan's pretty smile. If Fai stays with Masooma-chan forever, will Masooma-chan be happy? If so, Fai will always be by Masooma-chan's side."

Masooma smiled again, a tiny smile, but it was a pretty smile even if it was still sad. It was pretty. Fai grinned. He made Masooma smile her pretty smile so she was not sad anymore. He felt his stomach rumble.

"Can Fai get something to eat? Fai is hungry."

"Alright," Masooma laughed prettily and Fai felt his heart soar, "let's go get some breakfast. But you will have to stay right next to me, alright?"

Fai nodded, taking hold of Masooma's hand.

"Fai won't leave Masooma-chan."

-0-

Kurogane paused in the construction of the trap he was helping a group of the Magihidusi guards set up to watch the princess flitter by, looking rather tense from the set of her jaw and the coiling of her muscles. He watched her vanish from sight, hurrying after the lavender-haired girl, Violetta, towards the catacombs, resuming his work once she had vanished. Ten minutes later, she reemerged, this time, all by herself. Without sparing a glance in his direction, though looking a little more stressed out than before, she hurried towards the upper flights of the pyramid. Another fifteen minutes later she was once again heading towards the catacombs, Violetta having come up to greet her by the entrance.

Kurogane watched the princess make several more such trips as he worked on the trap- with each trip she looked more and more on the verge of having a meltdown. Kurogane knew she was worried about the kid and the upcoming attack and the possibility of the city being destroyed in the assault. He might have forced the princess to take the kid with her and head back to Clow, but she had confessed to not knowing how to travel through dimensions yet. It had surprised Kurogane in the beginning. After all, the princess was perhaps one of the most powerful magicians in all of the universes. How could she not travel through space and time when the very reason she had been targeted by Fei Wong Reed all those years ago was for that very ability of hers?

The princess had gone on to explain that even though her magic had the ability to bend space and time itself, she had not yet gained full control over it yet. She was still in the process of learning how to harness her powers completely. Part of the delay in her learning had been caused by the fact that she had forced her brother to teach her how to fight. Since she had not even known the basics, it had taken quite a lot of time and practice on her part to be at the level she was now. But her devotion to learning how to fight had cost her time she could have spent learning magic since she wanted to learn them both side by side. So what might have individually been accomplished in half a year would have taken her a year to do and what might have taken a year would have needed two.

Keeping all that in mind, it made sense that she had not yet reached the magical skill level needed to travel through dimensions. He had seen the guilt flashing across her face when she had told him that, softly explaining why they were all essentially stuck in that world. She had looked like she might be regretting her decision to force her brother into teaching her at the cost of her magical studies but Kurogane had waved it off, telling her not to fret over what could have been. She had to learn to pay attention to the present instead of dwelling over the past. What she had done was already done.

If she had not forced the king into teaching her, they might not have been able to get the mage out of that hellhole. So she should be happy she did what did. Had she known how to use the spell, they might have been able to get the mage and the kid away from the place since the Guardian could not leave and the Orcale _would_ not leave and had the mage been in any condition to do so, he would have stayed to fight and Kurogane could not in good conscience leave the witch or that second idiot to face the upcoming battle alone. The mage would never have forgiven him for doing something like that and besides… Kurogane had been itching to get back at those bastards for what they did and repay them in kind.

His words of reassurance had calmed the princess down for some time that night.

It was a good thing Tomoyo-hime had taken back her curse when they had left Nihon before the face-off with Fei Wong Reed. She had known he would want to avenge his parents' deaths and that meant killing the bastard who took them away from him. Having the curse on him when he had already learnt the meaning of true strength would have been detrimental to the purpose of him going on that journey and so, giving him her blessings, she had sent him off again. Had she perhaps foreseen this in one of her dreams as well before she gave up her ability altogether?

He briefly wondered what his princess might be doing right then, if she was awake or dreaming, or praying and trying to keep all of Nihon safe from the Oni. Kurogane vowed to get the manju to take him back there when all this shit was done and over with. Maybe she might even have a cure for the Mage that no one else might have heard of, because Tomoyo was an insane genius like that. Her magic was powerful and her mind sharp. There was a possibility that his princess might be able to cure the stupid mage, so… once he beat the shit out of those hunters, they were going to go to Nihon.

As he watched the jade-eyed princess rush back and forth now, it was quite clear that she was at the beginning of what could only develop into an all-out panic attack. Shaking his head, he finally stopped the girl as she walked past him sometime after her tenth trip.

"You need to take a break, Princess."

"I can't. Nixon-san said the attack can happen in less than a day and there is so much work that needs to be done and I have to help defend the city because Tsubasa… Tsubasa… I can't let them take him back there." She cried helplessly, "I can't… I _won't_ let them." She added a little more firmly as though suddenly remembering who she was.

"With the way you're going on, though," Kurogane pointed out patiently, glad to see that she at least still had some control over herself, "I bet you'll wear yourself out before morning."

When they had been travelling together, it had been the mage's job to look after the kids, seeing to it that they got enough rest and that they did not try and stress themselves out too much, but now that the blond was in no condition to do all that, Kurogane had to step up and take his place. No matter how grown up she looked now, she still had enough of that fourteen-year-old princess left in her to make Kurogane want to comfort her just a little.

"I'm not weak, Kurogane-san." The girl responded rather fiercely and Kurogane had to bite back a smile as he marveled at how far she had come in the past few years. Gone was the princess who wanted to be helpful in any way possible for the group of travelers and in her place was a young woman hell-bent on proving to the world that she would stop at nothing to protect what was precious to her. Just like the kid. She did not want people thinking her to be a weakling just because she was a princess, for even royalty carried their own particular brand of strength and Kurogane had played witness to it firsthand over the past few weeks.

After working her ass off for all those years, learning both combat and magic, she probably did not want _him,_ of all people, at the very least thinking she could not handle what was being thrown at her. That showed that she still had to learn a few things since even the strongest of warriors needed time to sit down and recuperate. No one could keep on carrying on forever. But then again, stress played a major hand in her drawing that conclusion.

She was strong, Kurogane would never deny that. A heart like hers was a rare gem, capable of being compassionate and loving yet at the same time fierce and loyal and willing to do anything it took to keep what she held precious safe. An ordinary girl her age might have broken down and given up a long time back had she been stuck in her position, yet the princess kept on getting back up, no matter what life threw at her.

"I never said you were," he said, quirking a brow at her as he pretended to size her up, "Think you can prove that to me though?" For a moment or two, the girl seemed too shocked to respond. "How about you show me how strong you truly are, Princess?" he threw over his shoulder as he moved towards a tunnel that led to a smaller cavern somewhere off to the west of the city. The floor of this cave had been smoothed down with magic to make it suitable for guards wishing to train. Off to one side, it had targets set up that were capable of moving with magic. One third of the cavern was dedicated to a rather complex-looking drilling area and the remaining portion had been set aside as a sparring ground.

The Oracle and four of the highest ranking squad captains were going to spell the area and make it one giant booby trap that night. But it was safe for the time being, although all the guards had been ordered to clear it off already. Not that anyone would have headed in that direction when there was work to be done. Nixon had mentioned that he could devise a spell that would intercept the incoming hunters' portal and redirect it to that particular cave instead. The interception and redirection would be quite demanding on the blind man since the Oracle had estimated at least more than two hundred hunters coming to assault Magihidusi directly through that portal while others would try and break in through the ruins above their heads. From what he had caught of the blind man's explanation, the greater the number of people he had to redirect, the shorter the distance he could cover with the spell.

Kurogane thought these limitations to magic were rather stupid, because what was magic if it was bound by laws like everything else in the universe? Magic was supposed to be free of laws, but then again, even that Time Space Witch had limitations over what she could and could not do…so maybe…it all made sense to the magic users in some way. The fact of the matter stood that the Oracle was unable to redirect the portal outside the city on the surface so they had to settle for the next best thing.

"Come on, it will help relieve some stress." He coaxed the girl who finally jolted into action with a quick, determined nod of her head as she jogged after him to catch up. The mage had resealed his sword in his other hand when they had left Clow because the idiot still believed in the possibility of them being separated from the meat bun during their dimension hops and Kurogane would have been at a disadvantage without his precious Ginryuu because unlike his companions, the Japanese warrior possessed no magic whatsoever even if he could make use of his aura to strengthen his family's attacks (which would have been pretty useless to him without his sword).

The princess had learnt a similar sealing trick for her swords, though unlike the kid who clapped his hands to summon his sword or Kurogane himself who called on the image of Ginryuu to make it materialize in his hand, the princess summoned her weapons through the use of a magic circle. It had been interesting to observe her summon the weapons for the very first time right before they had gone out to scout Metropolis only days before. All magic was essentially the same, yet different people wielded it in different ways through different means. He wondered how he would have used magic had he inherited some from his mother.

Entering the tunnel, they were both enveloped in silence as though someone had muted out all sounds except for the tapping of their feet and their breathing, though the princess shattered it not long after they had stepped inside.

"Thank you for doing this, Kurogane-san."

"No problem, Princess." He responded with a small shrug, though he wasn't sure if she saw it in the dark. The only thing that guided their path was the light at the end of the tunnel. "I still haven't tested your skills and I promised your brother before leaving that I would." He had never made any such promise, though the king had indeed asked him to look after his sister. Making sure the princess knew how to defend herself was just one way of doing that, so it wasn't exactly a lie.

"I see." was all she said as they traversed the rest of the passageway in silence. They finally emerged in a well-lit cavern that was nowhere near the size of the cave the main city was located in but was still quite spacious. It was completely empty save for themselves as all the guards that used the area were currently helping out in one way or another to make sure that the magi were ready for the impending attack, or as ready as they ever could be given the short amount of time they had.

Closing his eyes, he summoned his sword, focusing on the now-familiar feel of magic tingling in the palm of his hand. The princess mimicked his actions, calling on her weapons: two short swords with gold hilts, inlaid with precious gemstones where twining vines bloomed into the flowers of her namesake. The blades were curved wickedly and gleamed sharply in the glow cast by the globe that hung near the roof of the cavern. They were proof of excellent craftsmanship and despite their deadly appearance they seemed to belong in the princess's hands. It was almost like they were forged just for her, which was probably the case.

Walking a little ways away from her, he took up a stance, the princess mimicking his motions, though she bent rather low to the ground, legs spread for better balance and her swords poised, one to strike and the other to defend. Despite never having sparred against one another, neither needed to say a word as they began to dance a deadly dance of screaming metal and gleaming blades.

-0-

"Quit talking like you're going to die!" Syaoran was jolted awake by Masooma's angry voice, "I know you're not stupid enough to go and kill yourself. Not even over something like this…right?" Wondering who she was talking to, he tried to work out the crick in his neck.

Nixon's calm response answered that question for him as he stood up. Falling asleep leaning against the door had not been a good idea. Syaoran kept one ear on the conversation taking place in the next room while he massaged his neck with his hands and tried to regain some feeling in his numb legs. Thousands of invisible ants seemed to be crawling all over them. Resisting the urge to stay and listen in on what was being said, Syaoran figured he had already been eavesdropping far too much lately and it would be best to actually let people have their privacy. So he made his way back to Tsubasa's room, pausing before the wooden door to knock softly. Hearing no response from the other side, his pulse quickened at the thought of something being wrong as he hurriedly pushed it open and stepped inside.

He breathed a sigh of relief when he found Tsubasa asleep in his bed, his lackluster hair sprawled all over the pillow. Gently closing the door behind him, Syaoran walked over to his sleeping son, pulling up a chair to sit next to him as Tsubasa turned halfway onto his side, his legs uselessly lying right where they were. He wondered why he had felt so scared only moments before when he had not heard a response from Tsubasa and decided it probably had to do with the knowledge that Tsubasa had tried to end his life twice already. Maybe on some level, Syaoran was afraid he would try again and succeed.

Seeing the state of his son, Syaoran's heart filled with grief. Paralyzed from the waist below, he'd never be able to walk again. His precious little son, the child he had taught to fight and cook and read and write… the boy he and his beloved wife had raised together for the first seven years of his life, the boy they had taught how to walk… the boy he had sent off so many years ago to save the one he was destined for… he had been through so much. And he had not been able to do _anything_ to help him…as if he had not struggled enough already.

Syaoran knew that his friends would all support Tsubasa every step of the way on his road to recovery- a path he had already set out upon- but it was not going to get any easier for his son from here on out. Masooma had explained how it was not possible to heal his injured spine with magic because the wound was too old. This was something he would have to live with for the rest of his life. Maybe some world might have a solution for this, but… that would mean their journey across dimensions would not be over once Tsubasa and Fai were well enough to travel. But what if… what if Fai never recovered? Would they have to leave the man behind in this world with someone who could take care of him while they searched for a cure for Tsubasa?

The way Fai had behaved last night… Masooma had said the magician's personality had regressed to that of a child because his mind could not cope with the memories he had stored in his head. An image of Fai flashed across his mind's eye, naked and bound as that silver-haired woman descended upon him, quickly replaced by another of him being lowered onto burning coals swiftly followed by another one of the blond man lying bleeding on that metal table, his chest carved open and eyes blank. Shaking his head, he tried to get rid of the pictures, trying not to stew in the guilt of his sheer helplessness. He had not been able to do anything for either of them. And now here they were, paying the price for it.

A tremor shook Tsubasa's body as the brunette let out a soft moan, drawing Syaoran out of his thoughts.

"Sa-Sakura…No…Stop…"he mumbled, reaching out towards something in his sleep. "Please, stop. I didn't mean it…wait…Please." Grabbing one shoulder, Syaoran shook him.

_Tsubasa, wake up, son. You're dreaming._

"Sakura, please. Don't do it. Wait!" Syaoran shook him harder but it seemed as though Tsubasa was stuck in his nightmare, "Sakura, no!" Screaming out the princess's name, he shot up, eyes wide and chest heaving.

_Tsubasa, it was a dream._ Syaoran said in a soothing manner, trying not to startle him.

Bloodshot eyes turned in his direction, still glassy from sleep as he tried to recognize who was with him.

"F-Father? You're…You're here." A tint of relief colored his tone.

_I am. _He replied, offering the brunette a small smile.

"Sakura, she…she did it…" he cried in panic, as though suddenly realizing something was amiss. "She killed herself!"

_Sakura-hime is fine._ He said with a shake of his head. Tsubasa had been dreaming about her, then. And he had been worrying over her safety, which meant that he had atleast come to accept the truth about his friends. He would not fear them anymore. And from the looks of things, if all went well, he might even agree to seeing them in a day or two.

"No… I saw her do it." He insisted, "She-" he broke off, shoulders visibly sagging in what appeared to be relief, "it was a dream."

_Yes._ Syaoran nodded, offering him a bit of a smile.

Tsubasa did not return it, though, turning away in shame as he refused to meet his father's gaze. Sighing, Syaoran opened his mouth to speak when Tsubasa's voice made him pause. "I can't believe I almost made her kill herself… I _loved_ her. I should have known better."

_Blaming yourself for what has already happened won't make it any different._ He wanted to say more but he held his tongue, somehow able to tell that the brunette did not want to talk. Half a minute later, Masooma was stepping inside the room with a wooden tray laden with a pitcher of fresh water and two bowls filled with some sort of broth. Fai followed suit like a lost little puppy.

"Good morning, Tsubasa, Syaoran. How are you feeling today?" she asked as she set the tray on the bedside table and moved to bring the wheelchair up next to Tsubasa's bed. Lifting up the sheets, she effortlessly moved Tsubasa to the wheelchair. It was maddening to see his son in such a weakened state, but the spirit knew that the medic was doing all in her power to help him recover.

"I'm fine." The brunette replied quietly as the witch hung the catheter on a small hook beside the armrest and started pushing the chair towards the bathroom.

"Little Puppy is lying." Fai spoke up as he settled down on the edge of the bed Tsubasa had vacated, "Little Puppy is sad."

"Give it some time," the witch said, squeezing the brunette's shoulder helpfully, "it will get better."

Tsubasa said nothing in return as Fai began to speak again. "Little Puppy is hurt. The bad people hurt Little Puppy like they hurt Fai. But Fai is fine now, so Little Puppy will be fine too."

_Thanks, Fai-san._ The blond merely smiled his goofy smile in response as Masooma and Tsubasa both vanished through the doorway. He heard the sound of splashing water, along with soft murmurs that sounded like Masooma talking. Syaoran sat where he was for a while, feeling a little awkward sitting beside Fai with nothing to say as silence enveloped the two of them, broken only by the sound of Fai humming. The blond busied himself with picking at threads in the bedspread, unraveling the embroidered patterns in the sheets.

Ten minutes later, Masooma was wheeling Tsubasa back to his bed, his clothes changed into a fresh pair of loose fitting trousers and a shirt that seemed to swallow him whole. As Masooma made to move him back into the bed, Syaoran hurried over to help lift Tsubasa out of the wheelchair. Tsubasa looked downright miserable and it wasn't just because of the dream he had had. It must have been hard for him, coming to terms with his invalidity.

Syaoran swore to himself, as Masooma picked up the bowl of broth and handed it to his son, that no matter what it took, he would find a way to help his son regain what he had lost. Even if it meant he would have to travel to the edges of the universes and back, he would find a way to heal Tsubasa.

-0-

Kurogane called for a break once they had been at it for about an hour. The princess was good. Not as good as him, but what she lacked in skill with the swords, she somewhat made up for with her skill in magic. It was interesting to see her use magic to strengthen her attacks, though he doubted she'd be able to use this tactic with the hunters thanks to their magic-suppressing alloy. The princess was breathing hard as she doubled over, resting her hands on her knees to catch her breath. Pushing back her sweaty bangs with one hand, she looked over at him before her gaze travelled to the magical orb hanging from the roof. Her thoughts seemed to have wandered as she suddenly spoke up, her tone thoughtful and somewhat melancholic.

"How could they let all of this go on for so long?"

"Huh?" was the ninja's intelligent response.

"Those people in the city above…" she turned her searching gaze to him, "How could they just stand by and watch those Hunters do this to the magicians? I mean…I know that the war killed many people, but the losses were on both sides…and…so many were hurt but…that was over a millennium ago. Why are they letting all this happen now? What did the magi do to them now?"

"The hunters are considered protectors to the people who live above the surface." The Captain, Numero, was the one who answered her questioned as he walked out from the shadows of the tunnel he had been silently watching the pair spar from. Kurogane, of course, had been able to sense the man long before he had gotten there, thanks to his newly acquired sixth sense. "The war might be a thousand years in the past but those people still think of us as monsters. The hunters are there to _protect_ them, or so they are all led to believe. They don't know what really goes on inside the Complex. And the hunters make sure that they will never find out about it. A few people mysteriously disappearing every now and then? The blame gets pinned on us and the hunters grow stronger with the support they receive."

"Which means there isn't much the magicians can do except hide." The princess nodded in understanding, her expression sad yet contemplative. "Fighting back would only result in unnecessary deaths."

"Deaths that we could easily avoid by staying out of their way, but…"

"Now they're bringing the fight to your doors." Kurogane grunted, "If it's a fight they want, you should give them one they'll never forget."

"But we'll still be putting innocent lives in danger." The captain pointed out quietly.

"Only if they ever manage to get to the catacombs." The ninja responded. "Which won't happen, since the Oracle has a plan and you've got one heck of a Guardian. You've got the traps and warriors willing to defend this place till their dying breath. Not to mention the princess and I will be helping out and the princess is pretty much a goddess in her own right."

"I did not say that I am not confident we can keep them away." The man shook his head, "But it _is_ a little overwhelming to think that the hunters have succeeded in locating the last haven our kind has left. We've been safe here for so long…and for them to suddenly come knocking on our door…It just makes you wonder where we can hide if this place is not safe for us anymore either."

"Maybe it's about time you stopped hiding and started fighting back." Kurogane said gruffly, "The only reason those bastards have gained this much influence is because of your refusal to do anything about it. Lives will be lost, I don't deny that. But at least this way, you could get the truth out to those people on the surface. And some might even have the humanity to take your side."

"And maybe once they know what is really happening, the people above can stop the hunters. The magicians lose people to them even now, don't they?" the princess asked in her quiet manner. Kurogane knew it would not be as simple as the girl was making it out to be, since the hunters had a very strong position in the lives of the citizens of Metropolis and they would not be willing to give up that position without a fight, but who knew, maybe something might work out in the favor of the magi.

"It's not as easy as that, Your Highness," the captain replied, "the Shaman laid very strict rules in place when he concealed the city from the hunters. The council of elders is in place to ensure those rules are followed. Even if we were to try and do all that, the Shaman would not stand for it."

"Rules are meant to be broken." Kurogane said firmly as he pushed away from the wall he had been resting against, picking up his sword and sealing it back into his arm, "As for the Shaman, someone needs to put that bastard in his place."

It was all because of that bastard. The mage. That witch. They all lost so much at the hands of those monsters because that bastard would not let these people fight back. And even now…all they could do was wait for the hunters to come so that they could fight back. Who knew how many magicians had lost their lives and sanity at the hunters' hands over the years and how many more would continue to do so in the times to come. Someone had to teach that guy a lesson. Or at the very least, make him lift the restrictions he had placed on these people.

_**A/N: Tsubasa is now trying to come to terms with everything that has happened to him. Fai has sworn never to leave Masooma's side and it appears as though Kurogane is working on a plan to beat some sense into the Shaman's fat head. **_

_**As the time of the hunters' attack draws near, Masooma has to inform Syaoran and Tsubasa. Sakura finally gets the chance to ask Nixon about what is wrong with her as her condition becomes more prominent. The Shaman makes an appearance and one of the gang goes missing. All that and a lot more in the next chapter. Keep your fingers crossed and eyes out for the update. **_

_**P.S. Reviews stir the plunnies into action.**_

_**P.S.S. fugu-chan was my 475**__**th**__** reviewer and x-Neonstar-x was my 450**__**th**__** so they both get a one-shot request each. Drop me a PM with the details of whatever you guys want me to write and I'll see what I can do for you, okay? **_

_**P.S.S.S. I'm now on facebook guys. If anyone is interested, you can find me under the username of Sasaki Obsidian (since FB is stupid and won't let me use my penname . ) I'll be putting up my fanart, along with random snippets about my stories and WIPs and general tid-bids of info over there sooo yeah. ^_^**_


	56. Building Bridges

_**A/N: Really long chapter for you all to enjoy this time. I'm glad that ball has finally started rolling and I can finally get to writing all the fun parts that I had been wanting to write for months now! xD Anyhow, I hope you guys enjoy this update.**_

Masooma spent most of the day by Tsubasa's side, helping him through various exercises to keep his body from growing weaker than it already was. Occasionally, though, she would give instructions to Syaoran to help him through something while she'd leave for a little while to run an errand or two. Fai came and went with her, following her around like a little puppy. The blond would comment on one thing or another at times, but most of the time he would just sit on one side of the room and watch Masooma as she worked on him.

Her fingers felt soft and warm whenever she helped him exercise and it would always cause him to remember the way his Sakura's hands had felt warm and soft against his skin, while that woman who had posed as Sakura had had such cold hands… why had he never realized that they were not the same? Drugged or not, he should have been able to tell them apart. Even their kisses felt different. Sakura's were always sweet and pure and filled with so much love, but that woman's… they were icy and harsh. Cruel, even.

He should have realized it. The way Sakura had taken care of him, so gently and lovingly while he had been in Clow. And every time she had tried to help, he had only pushed her away. So consumed by the betrayal and his anger and fear that he failed to even realize it had never been Sakura in the first place. Her soft pleas that it wasn't her who hurt him, that it wasn't his teacher and mentor who betrayed him…he never believed any of it. He didn't even pause to think and consider the possibility that he might have been tricked somehow. After all, she was his soul mate. How could she have betrayed him? It just wasn't possible. Why had he never considered it?

His father tried to talk to him several times throughout the day when they were alone, but Tsubasa did not have the heart to reply. Masooma had decided to take a different approach to it all. He knew she could tell the guilt was eating him up, but she usually tried to distract him by telling stories from her youth while she remained by his side. Once or twice, she even managed to bring a small, grudging smile to his lips, though he'd be back to beating himself up the next minute.

He should have realized it wasn't them. He should have known it wasn't _her_.

-0-

Council Members Balkoon, Malisto and Shahala approached Nixon sometime before sunset, expressions frosty and auras angry. Their magic seemed agitated beneath their skins, causing the Oracle to draw away from the men he was helping to lay traps with and move to their side.

"Is something the matter?" he asked.

"After discussing matters with the, ah, more _experienced _council members we have decided that we do not trust you enough to handle this situation on your own as you have previously requested." Balkoon replied.

"You are the one that led us to being discovered in the first place," Shahala accused, anger causing her aura to turn a shade darker.

"We feel it would be best if you left the defenses to us."Malisto stated remorselessly. "You have helped us enough already."

"And I suppose you have a plan in mind." He responded coolly, quirking a brow at the trio.

"The Essence is rightfully ours." Shahala declared, "Our ancestors used its power to build magnificent cities. Of course the war caused us to go into hiding, but if the hunters have decided to bring matters to our doorstep, it would do well to show them our true power."

"You plan on breaking the seals holding the Essence in place?"

"With the seals no longer holding it back, we can use its power to crush the hunters and take back our rightful place in the world." Balkoon said calmly. "We have hidden away for far too long."

"Releasing the seals would cause the magic to dissipate back into the world." Nixon pointed out.

"Not if we were to absorb it first." Shahala sniffed disdainfully. "Magic is our birthright. The Essence is nothing but magic."

"The Shaman will not let you do that." He shook his head.

"The Shaman is merely an avatar of the Essence." Balkoon was nearly grinning, "He can be unsealed as well."

"And once that magic is released, we can use it to break the seals."

"And with the way you are now, you think you can beat the Shaman?" he asked, a new plan forming in his head even as he spoke the words.

"He might be too powerful for any one of us to take on by ourselves," Malisto admitted, "but three powerful council members will surely be able to put the Shaman in its place."

"And if you don't succeed?" he could tell the council members were irritated by his calm responses to them declaring they did not need his help, but Nixon could care less about what they thought. The seals placed on the Essence! Why had he not thought about it before? "Does the rest of the council know of your plan?"

"Those children don't know any better." Shahala said condescendingly, "Handing complete control of the city's defenses to a foreigner like you, of all people. They still have a lot to learn."

"And why worry about failure when we know the plan will work."

Stomping on the urge to tell them that the Shaman was far too powerful for them to handle on their own, even with the three of them using their magic in combination, Nixon merely inclined his head with a smile.

"If that is what you wish, who am I to stop you from trying?" he said, moving out of their way. He knew it was a bad idea to let them try, but…he had sworn to protect them all. He had sworn to protect _her. _And he'd be damned if he failed because a few power-hungry fools made things difficult for him.

The three council members walked past him without another word, Shahala clearly pleased at having one-upped him, but Nixon said nothing. His smile took on a twisted edge as they disappeared down the tunnels that led to the Essence. He would protect Masooma and Fai and Fai's new family. He would protect them no matter what lengths he had to go to. He would protect the city, too, because it had been a home to him for many years now. He would kill in cold blood if he had to, but he would protect them.

Merely half an hour later, three auras far beneath the city were snuffed out of existence, but the Oracle did not let himself feel any remorse for what he had done as he continued working on the trap with the guards.

-0-

Masooma left a little before sunset, Fai following after her like every other time, leaving Tsubasa alone with his father once again. As the spirit massaged healing oil into his muscles, he finally asked Tsubasa to share whatever it was that was on his mind. He remained silent, though.

_Tsubasa, please, say something. _He pleaded, fingers suddenly going insubstantial as his form began to flicker.

"F-Father?" Eyes widening in surprise, he tried reaching for the older man as he began to fade. The minute his fingers touched the spirit's, Syaoran was reabsorbed into Tsubasa's body. Reaching inside him, he could feel the older man's presence, but somehow…it had gone back to the way it had been before Sakura had torn his father out of his body. Alternate waves of hot and cold travelled through his whole body, breath coming in short pants as he tried to reach the spirit and failed again and again.

It was like…like Syaoran had gone back to being a memory all over again. Unbidden, tears began to flow from Tsubasa's eyes. He had vanished back inside him. He had lost his father again…

"Tsubasa?" Masooma was entering the room with dinner, though alarm clearly showed on her face as she hurried over to his side, "Hey, what's wrong?" she asked, quickly setting the tray on the bedside table, "Where's Syaoran?"

"H-He… He vanished." He replied, on the verge of a panic attack.

"Vanished?" She questioned, soft fingers touching his arm as her magic began to weave through him. He knew she was using a spell to make him relax but by now, he had come to trust her enough not to try and fight back.

"He's back inside me." He said, a little calmer than before, "like…like he was before we came to Magihidusi. He's a memory again."

"But that should not have happened," she frowned, slowly searching through his head for the spirit and failing just like Tsubasa."The Essence should have remained steady enough for Syaoran to remain here indefinitely, unless…"

"Unless?"

"I felt some disturbance in the Essence a little while back." She answered, frown deepening as she sat there. "It's possible that…"

"Masooma-san?" he questioned hesitantly, her magic having calmed him down completely by now, letting him think everything over in a cool manner.

"I was hoping I wouldn't have to tell you this tonight." She mumbled, biting her lip in a worried manner as she glanced in his direction. Taking a deep breath, she turned around to completely face him, both her hands holding on to his as she strengthened the calming spell by a fraction."Remember how I told you that Nixon and the others went to rescue Fai from the Complex?" Seeing him nod, she continued, "well, as it turns out, they had been unable to get Fai outside the Complex to attempt a spell back to Magihidusi, so Nixon cast the spell right from inside the building. And…the hunters know where we are."

Despite her magic forcibly keeping him calm, Tsubasa found his breath hitching in response to the witch's declaration.

"They…they're coming here?"

"Yes." She nodded, "Tomorrow afternoon or evening at most. But don't worry," she added quickly, "Nixon and I have been working on some spells and the city's population will be moved down to the catacombs, except for the guards, of course. But you will be safe there. Once we beat the hunters back out of the city, I'll bring you back up."

"But what about Fai-san? And the…" he gulped uneasily, "the others?"

"Fai won't know anything." She shook her head, "but he will be down there with you. Kurogane has offered to help me and Nixon, and Princess Sakura will be down in the catacombs to watch over you and Fai."

"Sa-Sakura-him... Sakura will be down there?" he repeated dumbly. He'd have to face her tomorrow. No matter what, he'd have to see her tomorrow and…

"I know you didn't want to see her yet and I'm really sorry. I wish there was something I could do, but we don't have much time and this is the only solution we have for now." She said hurriedly, "Sakura knows how to fight, so she will be the one guarding you and Fai down there."

Tsubasa had no idea Sakura had learnt how to fight, but then again, there was a possibility the princess had been learning in secret in order to surprise him when she had mastered her weapon. Thinking about Sakura with weapons made his mind flash back to the image of her with a scalpel in hand, eyes rimmed red and face blotchy with tears as she had screamed at him to tell her of a way she could regain his trust. And he had cruelly told her to kill herself.

His one true love and he had… oh, God. She probably hated him now.

"Tsubasa?" he must have remained silent for far too long because she was now looking at him in concern, still keeping contact with his hands to maintain the spell.

"She must hate me." He said automatically, without even meaning to share his thoughts. His father had begged for him to tell him his worries, but Tsubasa had remained quiet and now he was going to spill his guts in front of this woman. "She asked me to tell her of a way I would believe her and I…I told her to commit suicide to prove her innocence."

Masooma's grip on his hands tightened though she did not say a word. "I should have known it wasn't her. I should have realized that I was being drugged. After all…Sakura is too sweet and kind and caring and…she would never have done those things to me but I…I never believed her." He said bitterly, "she must hate me now. Even _I _hate me."

"Isn't it funny how the princess is worried over the exact same thing?" Her words caused him to shoot a surprised look in her direction."I was talking to her earlier, and she was worried that you hated her far too much to ever trust her again or even glance at her. And now here you are agonizing over the same thing."

"She…She's worried I hate her?" he gasped, feeling weak because until recently he _had_ hated her. Now… that hate had been replaced by something else, but it…it wasn't quite love just yet. Or maybe…that was because despite what he had been put through, he did still love her. But that part had been buried so deep inside him that it was invisible to an outsider. And as much as it hurt him to admit…"There might have been a time when I did… hate her, I mean, but…"

"But now you're confused?" Masooma asked softly.

"I don't know what I…I'm a complete mess and I need to time to figure everything out, but I have to face her tomorrow and I have no idea how I will do that." He confessed weakly, "I don't think I'll be able to look her in the eye. In fact…I had hoped I would have a few more days before I would have to see her or Kurogane-san. The last time we spoke I told her to die!"Masooma's spell was not nearly enough to contain his panic in its entirety, though it did tone it down a lot. "I'm not ready to talk to her. What am I even supposed to _say_ to her?"

"Nothing." The witch replied, "You don't have to say anything to her. Just…just give her a smile and it will be enough for her. Besides…she'll be busy with Fai most of the time, so you don't have to talk to her at all. Just the assurance that you have started to forgive her will be enough to last her a while."

"She truly is an amazing woman." Tsubasa said quietly after a few precious seconds had gone by. "I wish I could tell her I still love her, but it's so hard. I keep telling myself I should have known it wasn't her who did this," he indicated his body here, "to me, but…how am I to differentiate her from that woman when my memories keep showing me Sakura's face? I know it's not her, but I still feel the rage and the hatred I had felt then. I still feel the fear and the hopelessness and her betrayal. I just can't…I can't put it all behind me and pretend I'm fine. And this hurts her a lot, doesn't it?"

"She can understand, though." Masooma stated. "She knows how hard it is for you and she does not blame you. She's hurting now, but she refuses to give up on you. She's willing to wait for you, Tsubasa."

"Am I even worth waiting for?" he asked in a small voice.

"Sakura believes so." Masooma said, "The question is, though… do you have enough faith in her to believe she is right?"

Tsubasa said nothing to that, pondering over her question for a little while before finally looking up to meet her gaze with a small smile.

"Thank you."

Ruffling his hair with a tiny grin of her own, the witch replied with a simple "No Problem."

"Why did my father vanish if the Essence was supposed to keep him here indefinitely?" he asked.

"I felt some disturbance in the Essence earlier." The witch answered, "It is possible that the disruption caused the spell holding him in the real world to vanish. But maybe once this deal with the hunters is over and done with, we can try to spell him back."

"Can you do that?"

"I'm pretty sure Nixon knows of a way. He was the one that gave Sakura the spell the last time."

"I see…Did you leave Fai-san with one of the others?"

"He's sleeping in my room." She responded, her expression growing sad at the thought of the blond, making Tsubasa want to comfort her despite all the things that were wrong with his own life. She was suffering too, after all. But she did not let her own troubles affect the way she took care of Tsubasa. In fact, if it had not been to help him get his self-pity under control, she might not even have told him half the things she had. Even now, she merely sat there, lost in thought with a pained look on her face that made Tsubasa' heart go out to the older woman, but she did not say anything to burden him any further.

"Fai-san is a very strong person," he said, unable to come up with anything else as he gently touched her arm.

Turning that sad smile towards him, she shook her head. "Doesn't stop me from worrying about him. Just like it doesn't stop you from worrying over Sakura, or her over you."

"I wish I could help you…fight them off I mean," he admitted quietly.

"You need to concentrate on getting better first."

Heaving a small sigh, he looked away. "Yeah, I guess I do."

-0-

Even if the general population of the city had not been informed about the upcoming attack, a general restlessness was prevalent throughout the city that night. Those who knew kept working on ways to secure the city throughout the night, working in shifts to catch up on sleep and keep the work going on at the same time, Sakura, Kurogane, Masooma and Nixon amongst them, though the witch had the added responsibility of checking up on both Tsubasa and Fai every couple of hours. Fai slept without trouble and Tsubasa did pretend to be asleep everytime she went to check on him, though they both knew he was not really asleep.

Masooma never stayed with either of them for long, though.

Knowing that most of the hunter technology was built using cerellium, they all knew magic would not be the most effective way to trap them or fight back, but just because it would not be the most reliable thing, due to the city's ancient origins and the strength of the magic that permeated the air, they knew it would not be as useless as it might have been on the surface world. It had been decided that while Sakura would be heading down to the catacombs with Fai and Tsubasa, Kurogane and Nixon would head to the tunnel system that housed the Essence and be the last line of defense because they all knew there was no way at least one or two of the top hunters would be held back from that place. Meanwhile, Masooma would remain near the pyramid and fulfill her guardian duties which required her to act as the first line of defense for the city. She knew Nixon hated the idea of having to leave her alone to fend for herself, but for some reason, he did not offer much opposition to the idea when she gave it.

The look on his face let Masooma knew that he had a plan and from all the years she had spent knowing him, she knew that a Nixon with a plan was one of the worst enemies one could ever hope to encounter. There was a chance they might make it out of this alive yet.

Morning arrived far too quickly for any of their liking. Masooma fed Tsubasa as usual, helped him clean himself up, wash his face and change into fresh clothes, keeping up an inane chatter if only to keep herself from having to think about the possibilities of what the future might hold for her if they were to fail to defend the city. Death at best and excruciating, maddening torture at worst. Soon after that, Masooma was helping the others direct the citizens to the catacombs, Fai sticking to her side as though glued in place, refusing to let her out of his sight for even a second. Even in his current state, he could tell something was not quite right.

She had decided to let Tsubasa stay in his quarters until the very end, prolonging his inevitable meeting with the princess as much as she could because she knew he was rather apprehensive about having to see her so soon. But even so, the time was drawing near when she would have to take the brunette down to the safe-room as it had been dubbed by the guards. Sakura looked questioningly towards her a few of the times she saw the princess flutter about, but she did not give much of a response other than to offer her a smile with a shake of her head.

Slowly making her way through the now-deserted city( except for the occasional guards patrolling to make sure no one was left behind), Masooma walked back to her quarters, retrieving Mokona from the cushioned shelf it was sleeping on before finally walking to Tsubasa's room, Fai still not having left her side. She gently knocked on the door before pushing it open and approaching the brunette who looked like he was being lead to the gallows.

Helping him into the wheelchair, she finally began walking towards the catacombs, neither of them saying a word the entire journey. She heard his breath catch in his throat when he finally caught a glimpse of the princess halfway across the safe-room, helping an aging woman move a few things to her liking.

"It'll be okay." She said, squeezing his shoulder in a comforting gesture as the jade-eyed princess noticed their presence and hurriedly made her way towards them.

"Good morning Masooma-san, Fai-san." She greeted them once she was within earshot, her gaze darting nervously towards Tsubasa as though unsure how to act around him. Seemingly deciding on something, she added, "and you as well, Tsubasa-kun." It sounded wrong and rather stiff and formal from Sakura's lips and Masooma felt Tsubasa wince in response to the princess's greeting though he did reply with a 'you as well, princess.'

"I brought Mokona down here as well," the witch said, handing the dimension hopper to the princess, "though I'm pretty sure it won't be of much use to any of you in this state. But it was best to bring it here rather than leave it in the pyramid."

"Thank you, Masooma-san," the girl said, taking hold of one of her hands as she took the magical creature with the other, "for everything."

Masooma knew the princess was saying it in case they never had another chance to talk. Though neither of them was willing to acknowledge it, it was still a fact that some wouldn't make it out of this ordeal alive. And Sakura was doing what little she could to at least have no regrets at a later date.

"It was no problem," she smiled at the auburn-haired girl before turning her attention to Fai. "Fai, you are going to stay with Sakura for a little while, okay? I need to help Nixon with some work but I'll be back soon."

"Fai go with Masooma-chan." The blond responded, furiously shaking his head as he caught hold of her now Mokona-free hand.

"No, Fai, I want you to stay here with Sakura and wait for me, alright?" Masooma said, gently trying to free her hand from his grasp.

"Fai won't leave Masooma-chan alone." The blond argued, "Fai promised never to leave Masooma-chan. Fai goes with Masooma-chan."

"Fai-san," Sakura spoke up before Masooma could respond this time. "I need your help with something near the back of the cave. Can you please come with me?"

"Little Kitty needs help?" the blond said, cocking his head to one side inquisitively.

"Yes. There's this spell I want you to look at." And with those words the jade-eyed princess was drawing the blond away from Masooma and Tsubasa.

"Well, time for me to get going then, I suppose," Masooma said in a tone of forced cheerfulness as she grinned at the brunette before hurrying out of the cavern system.

She never promised to see him later, hoping to have one less broken promise that way if things ended badly.

-0-

Sakura tried her best to keep Fai occupied and away from thoughts about the amber-eyed witch and she succeeded in doing so for a little while. Long enough for Masooma to slip away unnoticed, but Fai seemed to have been worried about the witch in his own way because he started asking for her not long after that. It was rather hard to keep the blond distracted as she made him help her with the elderly citizens of Magihidusi. It had been decided earlier that every able-bodied wizard and witch that knew how to fight would be asked to help defend the city. Those that had families were allowed to take up posts near the safe-room as a last line of defense, while those who had none had volunteered to help the guards all over the city and the complex system of tunnels that led to it.

The elderly, the children and mothers were all led here along, with those that were sick or unable to fight. Magihidusi was by no means a small city, and the population reached well over a thousand at the very least. So it wasn't surprising in the least when there were a lot of people vying for attention. The air was palpable with the fear of having been discovered, but the people had trust in their warriors and Guardians- it was not common knowledge that Nixon was no longer one- so there were none who were outright panicking. Though it was still a little heart-wrenching to see mothers clinging to their children in tiny huddles and the elderly watching her and the other supervisors move around through crinkled eyes sunken in age-lined faces with a calm sort of acceptance of their fates.

Sakura ended up leaving Fai with a small group of children, instructing him to keep the children entertained since everyone knew how much Fai loved kids, before she herself made her way towards Tsubasa. The absence of his father had been nagging at Sakura ever since he had arrived. She had been hoping to talk to the spirit about what had happened between them and maybe even apologize for it. Fear flashed in Tsubasa's eyes for a fraction of a second when Sakura called out his name and it hurt to see him like that, just like every other time, but then he looked away, lowering his head in shame and Sakura briefly wondered if maybe he had come to realize the truth by now.

"Something you wanted to ask me, Princess?" he asked in that polite manner of his and she wished so much to hear him call her by her name alone.

"Oh, yes," she said instead, "I was wondering where Syaoran-san was. There was something I had to discuss with him."

"The spell holding Father in the real world vanished last night," he responded sadly, "Masooma-san said that Nixon-san might be able to redo the spell once all this is over, though. You might have to wait until then to speak with him."

"I see." She replied a little weakly. In the brief moment of silence that followed, Sakura stood there a little awkwardly, watching the brunette as he picked on a loose thread in the hem of his shirt, refusing to meet her gaze at all. He had gotten a little better than when they had brought him here and it made Sakura feel a little jealous of the witch who had succeeded in helping him where she had failed. It was rather obvious that Tsubasa trusted Masooma a lot more than he did her. His hair was cut and his wounds were healing rather nicely, the bruises and the burns and the cuts having begun to fade back into his flesh, though there were a few that left their marks in the form of scars. But he looked healthier, his body a little fuller even though he still looked a lot like death warmed over. But at least his cheeks had begun to fill out and his skin no longer clung to his bones like a walking talking skeleton.

All in all, it was quite clear that Tsubasa was healing, both physically and mentally.

"So, umm…" she cleared her throat awkwardly, "it's…it's good to see you're getting better, Tsubasa-kun."

"Yes, Masooma-san has been helping me a lot." He replied with a nod, still not quite meeting her gaze though he did finally look at her. "And you…" his eyes widened in shock, "you have scars on your face." He blurted out, making Sakura feel rather self-conscious about the wounds she had received from Fai during one of his fits.

"Fai-san…he, um…he was having a fit and accidently hurt me." She replied, hurriedly turning away from him, if only to hide the marks from his gaze.

Unknown to her, Tsubasa lowered his head in shame at his lack of tact. "Ah." Was all the sound he made in response.

"He's getting better now," she added hurriedly, wanting him to know that she was trying to help their friend. That she wasn't a bad person. That she…that she still cared about the people she held dear. "Kurogane-san and I have been trying to help him. Masooma-san and Nixon-san too."

"That's good to know…"

Sakura hated this distance between them. This masked politeness and this awkward small talk. Why couldn't things have been the way they were before? How she longed for that familiarity, that love, that easy brush of skin on skin, those light touches of their hands that conveyed all their feelings to the other.

"Yes. I think I should go and check on Fai-san again," she said, beginning to take a step back as she looked at where she had left him with the children. "He keeps on asking about Masooma-san, and…" she trailed off, heartbeat quickening as she noticed the blond wasn't there. Hurriedly scanning the rest of the area, she found her body going numb as she realized he wasn't anywhere to be seen.

"Sakura-…Sakura-hime?" she heard Tsubasa say in the distance.

"He's gone." She whispered, eyes still frantically searching around for the wizard. She raced towards the children he had been with earlier, Tsubasa wheeling his chair right behind her, though he did seem rather out of breath by the time he got to her.

"The man that was here, do you know where he went?"she addressed the children's mother, who had been sitting only a few feet away.

"He said he had to find Masooma-chan." The woman replied in a slightly confused manner. "He went that way." She added, pointing towards the exit of the safe-room and Sakura felt as though the earth had slipped right out from underneath her feet.

Fai had gone after Masooma. Even as she tried to wrap her mind around this information, loud explosions shook the entire cave, marking the beginning of the battle for Magihidusi. The woman's daughter shrieked in fright as she launched towards her mother while Sakura whirled around to face Tsubasa.

"I have to bring him back!" she cried urgently, handing the unconscious Mokona to Tsubasa before summoning her swords.

The brunette appeared rather conflicted as he finally met her gaze for the first time in so many days and something passed between them in that moment.

"Be careful." He said, reaching out to touch her but apparently thinking better of it and withdrawing his hand to rest on the sleeping dimension hopper. Despite the severity of the situation as dust and debris rained all around them from the ceiling, Sakura felt a tiny flutter in her stomach. Flashing him a grateful smile, she turned on her heels and sprinted towards the exit tunnel that was being spelled shut by the guards stationed outside.

_**A/N: So Nixon is not above getting people killed to get what he wants. Syaoran has been reabsorbed into Tsubasa's body and is once again nothing more than a memory. Tsubasa and Sakura had a cute yet awkward sort of moment between them and you all finally found out who vanished! And that too when the attack has just begun. Will Sakura be able to get to him in time? Will Nixon succeed in his plan? Will Masooma be able to fight the hunters? Will the clones ever regain their bodies? Will Tsubasa regain the use of his legs? And last but not the least, will Fai ever get his sanity back? I'd love to hear your thoughts on all these questions so feel free to drop me a review and tell me what you think ;)**_


	57. Beginning of the End

_**A/N: I'm rather glad with how this chapter turned out even though the plot is very, very insistent on running away from me. But I'm awesome and I reeled it all back in by the end of this chapter. But anywho, this was fun to write all the same because I got to explore a few things I had wanted to do for quite some time and someone finally got a chance to be the badass they were truly meant to be.I shall keep you no more and save my ramblings for the end so enjoy the update~**_

Adrenaline was slowly beginning to pump through his veins as he gave last minute instructions to the guards, making adjustments here and there in their plan as his visions kept coming. Deliberately using his abilities to induce these visions was a little different from the major visions he got – like the one he had had back in Celes letting him know of Ashura's plan to kill Masooma, or the one he had had only a couple days back about the hunters coming to Magihidusi. The visions he triggered himself only allowed him to look a few hours into the future, while the ones that came on their own could let him see things years into the future at times.

Nixon was making a rather conscious effort not to see what would become of Masooma's battle or of his own battle. It was better not to know than to dread the inevitable by knowing it. Changing the future through direct interference took a higher toll after all. That was the reason why Yuuko always pulled the strings in the background, only nudging and prodding things to go in the direction that would yield a favorable outcome, though sometimes it took years to just make a minute change. Sadly, Nixon did not have the luxury of such time at his disposal and thus he was trying to avoid setting things in stone by seeing them. It did not make much sense but that was the way these things worked, he had discovered.

Nodding his farewell and good luck at Captain Numero, Nixon finally turned away from the guards, leading his sole companion down to the chambers housing the Essence. It took him half a minute to completely cut himself off from his visions so as not to accidentally receive something in the midst of battle, sending out a silent prayer for the safety of everyone he cared about as he entered the cool tunnels beneath the pyramid.

He had spent the better part of last night setting up the spell to redirect the incoming hunters to the tunnels outside of the main complex where an ambush would be lying in wait for them. He was not foolish enough to think that that alone would be able to keep them all away though, so they had all worked on laying traps throughout the city. They knew the place a lot better than their adversaries and that was what they were planning on using to their advantage.

Everyone hoped the hunters would be staved off outside the pyramid, but worse come to worst; he and Kurogane were to be the last line of defense for the Essence. The plan he had been developing ever since the three Elders had walked to their deaths was not exactly foolproof and a lot of it was based on the probability that he would be able to convince _that_ bastard to go along with it. Considering the Shaman's dislike and recent hostility towards him, Nixon's hopes were not very high. But even so, he did have a Plan B. He just kept hoping it would never come to something of that sort.

"How far can you _sense_ someone?" he asked Kurogane in a level tone as they made their way through the twisting tunnels, going deeper and deeper.

"_Sense?"_Kurogane repeated.

"The auras." He explained, "how far can you sense someone's aura?"

"Till the edge of the main cavern." The ninja replied and Nixon breathed a sigh of relief. At least his Plan C could still work. He had to keep himself from smiling as the Shaman materialized before them in the antechamber to the cave that housed the Essence in all its powerful glory.

"What is the meaning of bringing this ordinary human here, Oracle?" the Shaman spoke in its cool, feminine voice. "You know only the appointed Guardians can come here." The child's voice added, "Yet this mortal is neither a guardian nor a mage."

"He is here to protect the Essence while I negotiate with you." He could see Kurogane's aura change color in curiosity. Nixon had never mentioned any sort of negotiations with the Shaman when he had demanded that Kurogane come with him to the catacombs.

"We will not be sparing the Guardian if she fails."The female voice reminded him, causing his irritation to rise a little.

"She won't fail," he replied, managing to keep his emotions under control as he spoke. He had to keep the Shaman interested in what he had to say, "Because I have a way no one can get their hands on the Essence ever again."

"Destroying the Essence is out of the question, Oracle."Surprisingly enough it was the old man's voice that told him this. "Those foolish council members already tried and paid for their insolence with their lives."

"I'm not stupid enough to think the Essence can be destroyed, or absorbed," he added with a small smirk. He had the bastard's attention. "The council members wanted to absorb the Essence to protect the city. That is not my intention, however," he shook his head, "I want to release the Essence back into the world."

"Unacceptable." The woman's voice said thunderously."The Essence is not to be tampered with."

"Would you rather the hunters laid their hands on it?"he shot back hotly.

"The Essence _will _be protected!" the woman's voice spoke forcefully, "Whether your precious Guardian survives the ordeal or not…" she trailed off, making Nixon clench his fists in irritation. If only he could have knocked some sense into the bastard. Unfortunately, he could not expend all his energies here when he would be needing his magic for something much more important later on.

"If you're the Shaman, you're supposed to be all-powerful, right?" Kurogane interrupted Nixon's retort as the warrior took a step in the cloaked entity's direction.

"Correct, mortal."

"Then hypothetically speaking, you should have no trouble healing the mage, right?" the ninja questioned and Nixon held his silence, curious to see where the warrior was heading with this conversation.

"Just because we can do it does not mean we will." The Shaman replied dismissively as it made to return its attention towards Nixon.

"I'll pay the price you asked of the Oracle!" the red-eyed man declared out of the blue, causing Nixon's blood to run cold. The foolish man, how could he have just…

"You seek something in return?"

"Yeah," Kurogane nodded, Nixon unable to say even a single word because of the magnitude of the warrior's stupidity. For all his rationality and thinking things through, Kurogane never even paused to consider that he had no idea what the price the Shaman was asking for was! How could he have just offered to pay it, without even knowing what it was?! "But I don't want something for myself." The man was speaking once again, "I want you to fight me." He proclaimed rather loudly, making Nixon want to bash him over the head with a rock. Who was he kidding here? Even Nixon had trouble standing up to the shaman in his last encounter and Kurogane did not even have magic on his side! "If you win, I pay the price you asked the Oracle to pay and you keep the city and everyone in it safe. If I win, you let him go through with his scheme and you heal the mage."

For a fraction of a second the silence was so thick it could have been cut with the warrior's sword but then the Shaman burst into amused peals of laughter.

"You keep amusing pets, Oracle." The being said in between bouts of laughter, before sobering up rather abruptly. "As entertaining as he is to watch, however, we do not have time to…put up with his insane antics." The Shaman was back to full-on ignoring the ninja now.

"Afraid I might wipe the floor with your almighty ass?" Kurogane taunted, though Nixon could see the way his aura changed colors. Guess the 'Shaman's pet' comment had really ticked the man off.

"Do not fool yourself into thinking we could be bested by the likes of you, mortal." The woman's voice was overlapped with the other two, all three voices sounding incredibly angry at the warrior's insinuation.

"Well then, why don't you come off your high horse and try and prove it to me?"

"And when you lose, you will be willing to do what the Oracle failed at?" the question in the being's voice let Nixon know of its answer, making chills of dread race down his spine. Kurogane had no idea of what he was getting into!

"The bastard wants me to kill Fai!" he blurted out, imagining the way the warrior's eyes must have gone wide when his aura nearly turned white with alarm, "That's the price he's asking for to protect the city!"

For a heart-stopping moment, all he could hear was the sound of his own heartbeat, blood pounding in his ears, before Kurogane gave a derisive snort.

"Should have figured as much." The man said in his trademark nonchalant manner. "I guess this means I'll just have to make sure I don't lose, doesn't it?"

-0-

Dread settled in the pit of Masooma's stomach as she hurriedly walked through the darkened tunnels, returning to the main complex above the catacombs. Syaoran and Fai were in the safe room with Sakura and Nixon had insisted on Kurogane accompanying him to the antechamber of the cave that housed the Essence. She had no idea what was going on inside the blind man's head, but she knew he had a plan of some sort. Pausing near the tunnel opening that was spelled to look like it would collapse any second, she took a deep breath, trying to steady herself.

Despite the strong front she had been putting on in front of everyone, she was scared. The hunters had tormented her and nearly driven her insane. She had seen with her own eyes what they could…what they _had_ done to people she knew and people she cared about. What if she wasn't strong enough? As the sole Guardian it was her duty to keep them at bay and stop them from taking over the last stronghold of the magicians, but...she was not stupid enough to fool herself into believing she could actually take them all on by herself. And for that reason, there were volunteers and guards stationed all over the city, lying in wait to spring ambushes at strategic locations to keep them from discovering the entrance to the catacombs.

The last time she had fought with the hunters, her magic had been stronger due to her emotional state. And Bauld had truly not been expecting her to be actually able to fight back after what he had done to her. This time, however…he was not going to be alone and there was no way in hell he would underestimate her true power. He would be wary of her and so would all the other hunters who faced her, but how many could she take on at a time?

Shaking her head, she cast a small spell that braided her hair to keep it out of her face. She always felt more comfortable with it down and free, but in a fight like this one, her hair could be more of a problem than a strength. If she lost it…she would be too weak to fight. After all, she drew her power from it, her magic literally turning half the strands red as it asserted itself. The more she used her magic, the more her hair changed to red. At the same time, the black of her hair kept her magic in check. It was rather similar to how one of Fai's eyes increased his magic with every spell he used, but his other eye would decrease his magic by the same amount, keeping it all in balance.

Even as things stood, it would be hard for her to fight on even ground with the hunters while they wielded weapons and armor made of Cerellium. Pure magical attacks would never work on them as the metal had the ability to nullify magic, but physical attacks being directed at them through the use of magic…not so much, and it was this little loophole the magi were going to use to their advantage.

She just hoped that Fai and Syaoran would be able to heal if she was no longer there after this ordeal. The possibility of dying was very, very real and while she did not want to die, she was not fooling herself into believing she was not walking to her death. This was going to be literally it for her. She might not live to see another day and it broke her heart thinking about what her death might do to Fai. He might have lost his mind, but it was still quite clear that the blond was very attached to her. In fact, he had become just that much more expressive now and…maybe he might be able to get over her because of that, and maybe he would move on with his life once she was no longer there because it was much easier for a child to let go than it was for a full grown man. Children did not understand things all that well, after all, and that was all Fai was now.

Syaoran atleast knew the truth, so it was only a matter of time for him to come to terms with his feelings before he was ready to let his friends back into his life. He probably would not be so affected by her death. She never was very close with either Kurogane or Sakura to begin with; she was just the-witch-Fai-was-in-love-with in their eyes, so it wouldn't matter much to them either. Nixon would probably be the only other person who would…Heaving a tiny sigh, she shook herself out of those morbid thoughts. It would not do well to dwell on something like that. She had to try her very best and survive. If she died, well, then…it wouldn't make that much of a difference for her because she would be _dead_, wouldn't she?

Deciding she had loitered for long enough, she summoned her staff, her mind flashing back to the very first time she had held the weapon in her hands. She had been such a naïve little thing back then, refusing to seal it back even after Fai had taught her how to perform the act because the staff was proof that she was witch. That she had magic. That she was…special. Back in Celes, her village never had that many magical children. She was one of the few that were extraordinary. Her most basic training in magic had been from a kind-hearted healer. Before her apprenticeship to Fai, she had always imagined she would be an apprentice to the healer and take the magician's place once she was old enough to do so. Never in a million years had she imagined being trained by one of the very best magicians in her country, let alone… Well, at least she knew she was not just an ordinary witch now.

She could only hope her magic would be enough to help her survive this attack. She wanted to see her Fai again one last time before she died. Her Fai, not this childish version of the man she loved, but that smart, witty wizard with a sweet tooth who got annoyed every time she broke a rule. The man who would endlessly lecture her about responsibility or proper conduct for a witch whenever she pulled a prank on the annoying, tittering daughters of the court members when they followed after Fai like lovesick little puppies. The man who would hold her and comfort her when she was in pain, listen to her when she needed to rant. The man who would kiss her with so much love and tenderness that it would make her heart soar to the heavens. She wanted to see _that_ Fai once more. Even if it was only for the briefest of moments, she hoped that she would live long enough to see him again.

-0-

Kurogane spun around, narrowly avoiding the spell sent his way by the Shaman. The being was ridiculously powerful-magically speaking, that was. Ever since their fight had begun, something like fifteen minutes ago, the being had only moved from his place once, and even then, Kurogane had only managed to nick a corner of the bastard's cloak with his sword before being blasted across the cavern by a powerful force. It was near impossible to get close to the thing, what with the numerous protection spells surrounding its presence. Kurogane suppressed an irritated growl, just _knowing_ the bastard was laughing at him from underneath that cloak. It was quite evident the Shaman was playing with him like a cat played with a mouse.

Pushing off from the wall of the cave with his feet, he lunged for the Shaman, sword poised for a strike- though the ninja switched his pose just a few feet away from the bastard, knowing it was much harder to do what he was about to do in midair than it was on the ground-but summoning his family's secret technique all the same.

"_Senryuu Hikougeki!_ He cried and a blue blast of light tore from his sword, colliding with the Shaman's outermost magical shield. The attack produced a tiny crack in its surface, though Kurogane did not have much cause to celebrate because the bastard was cocooned in layers of protective spells. Even so, he was not giving up just yet, so without even pausing for a breath, Kurogane launched another attack at the Shaman as soon as his feet touched the ground. "_ChiRyu Jinenbu!"_ the golden blast of light whistled through the air, colliding with the magical shield and shattering it completely on impact.

He allowed himself the briefest of grins at that, somehow knowing he had managed to shock the bastard into taking him seriously now. He might not have magic, but he was no less powerful. Magicians always made the mistake of assuming that those without powers like theirs would be no match for them. Kurogane would show this bastard just who the hell the Shaman was messing with. Here was a mouse that could snap right back at the cat and chew off its paw if it came to it.

"_Tenma Shouri Sen!" _he pushed on with his attack just as the Shaman sent a dark, crackling spell his way. The two attacks met halfway and there was a rather brilliant explosion of raw power. Sharp blades of air burst out every which way and one such blade nicked his side, drawing a tiny streak of crimson. The Shaman vanished with a swish of its hooded cloak, appearing behind Kurogane just a fraction of a second later, but thanks to Kurogane's sixth sense, it was easier for him to locate the thing. He blocked the next spell coming his way, trying to sweep the bastard's feet out from underneath it with a low spinning kick.

"_Hama Ryouh Jin!"_Attacks went back and forth at a lightning-fast pace. Most of the time, the opponents were too quick for them to connect with their intended targets but at times they managed to meet their mark and either blood would be drawn or a shield would crack or shatter.

"You are a strong warrior." The shaman spoke in its feminine voice as a spell knocked him off his feet and sent him sprawling almost at the Oracle's feet. The blind man had wisely stayed out of the fight, if only to not further agitate the Shaman than Kurogane already had. "Much stronger than the humans we have faced before. We will give you that."

"Thanks." He shot back, jumping back to his feet without missing a beat, "you compliment them all when they kick your ass?" Without waiting for reply, he swung his sword in a wide arc, summoning his most powerful attack. "_Tenma Kuuryuusen!"_

A bright blue dragon bigger than a house and longer than those flying things-trains, the manju bun had called them in Rekourt- raced towards the shaman, nothing but raw power crackling around it as it snapped its jaws at the apparition, breaking through the magical shields like a hot knife through butter. The Shaman vanished before his attack could fully touch it, though even as his summoned dragon vanished into smoke, a tattered old cloak fluttered to the ground, Kurogane's sixth sense picking up the Shaman appearing somewhere in the shadows of the cave to his right.

"I guess I forgot to mention, I'm stronger than the idiots you've faced before." Kurogane did not let on that he had never faced an opponent this powerful before on his own. Never before had he used so many of his family's techniques in such close succession and to be honest he was wearing down, but he would rather cut off his other arm before admit that to present company. _"ChiRyu Jinenbu!" _Not giving the bastard a chance to recover from his previous attack, Kurogane followed up this one with another, _"Hikougeki!"_He screamed, both techniques slamming into the Shaman in quick succession, throwing the being into the cavern wall. Deciding to finish off his opponent with a final strike, Kurogane spun his sword, the metal piercing the air with a shrill wail as he ran towards the Shaman. The words of the attack died on his lips when he finally caught sight of the Shaman's revealed face for the first time. All the blood suddenly drained from his face, eyes wide in disbelief as he took a staggering step back."To-Tomoyo?"

"Once upon a time, perhaps," The Shaman gave a murmur as she looked up at him with those familiar lavender eyes before she flung her hand in his direction and a dark spell sent him flying through the air. By the time Kurogane climbed back to his feet, she was gone. He cursed explosively, berating himself over being caught off guard so suddenly. He had no idea where Tomo- No! The Shaman had gone to. Its aura had completely vanished, like it had never been there in the first place. He had been thinking about his princess these past days and never in a millions years had he expected to see her so soon or here of all places, but…he should not have stopped his attack. He should have known it was not his Tomoyo. His Tomoyo was kind and gentle and loving and more mischievous than the devil itself, but this…this was not her. This was the Shaman!

He should have…he should have beat the shit out of it- he could _not_ allow himself to think of the being as Tomoyo- like he had initially planned on doing. He should have carried on and struck that final blow and claimed victory and then the mage would have been healed and the city would have been saved and he would have been able to go back home to the real Tomoyo. But deep down, Kurogane knew that he could never have fought against his opponent the way he had-like a man possessed-had he known his opponent shared the same face as the woman he loved.

"Well, well, well," the sound of loud clapping echoed all around the cavern, and Kurogane cursed himself for letting his guard down just because the Shaman had vanished. The unfamiliar voice that spoke was gravelly and rather unpleasant, setting the ninja's teeth on edge as he looked in the direction of the newcomer. A man dressed in a pair of dark pants, chainmail and wrist guards stepped into the light, the heavy battle axe he carried made out of the same metal as the chainmail glinting red in the light being cast by the floating orb high above them. His bald head, a gold ring in the shape of a fang on his left ear and red eyes were his only distinguishing feature, causing Kurogane to narrow his eyes a little warily. Their first true opponent had finally found them.

How the hunter had managed to find his way down to the antechamber with all the traps and obstacles and the labyrinth of tunnels meant solely to confuse wanderers Kurogane did not know. It was rather evident that the man had gotten over all the hurdles, though because he was nearly bathed in red and yet there was not a single scratch on his body. He could only hope the healer was still alive. It would crush the Mage and the Oracle both if she were to die like this. But having heard of the tales of her skill in battle, Kurogane figured this man must not have faced her for the witch would not have let any hunters past her this easily.

"The Oracle and his sidekick." The man drawled in a bored manner,though Kurogane could pick up the taunting undertones to his speech. "I was expecting a welcome committee, but I had been hoping for something a little more…entertaining."

Behind him, the Oracle's aura spiked and shifted colors; magic suddenly growing so heavy in the man's vicinity it was nearly suffocating. The blind's man aura had always been in varying shades of gray ever since Kurogane had gained his ability to see the stuff, but Kurogane could have sworn that it turned pitch black in less than a heartbeat as the man summoned his throwing knives and took slow, even steps to come and stand a few paces ahead of Kurogane. If one were to only judge on the basis of physical appearance, the Oracle was a perfect example of calm and collected, but his aura and magic were a completely different matter. His magic was pulsating in an agitated manner, as though eager to rip the man before them apart through sheer power and his aura was so darkened by hatred it was like gazing into a black hole which no light could ever escape from.

"Bauld." Their opponent's name was hissed with so much venom that if it had the power to kill, the man would have been dead a thousand times over in less than a heartbeat. "I was hoping you would be the one to come here tonight."

"I would have personally preferred fighting against your little bitch," the man responded with a leer, "but I guess I could settle for you."

'_Kurogane, I'll keep him occupied.'_ The Oracle's voice sounded inside Kurogane's head as the world around them was suddenly plunged into darkness. The only light that was there now was coming from him or the blind man before him. The caves and the hunter were gone. It was all just one big empty vacuum where they were. A brightly colored orb of light, flickering like a beating heart as the colors inside it shifted in hues flew from the man towards the warrior, burning against his chest like fire for a fraction of a second before settling against his heart like a warm little…thing. It was impossible to describe what it truly felt like but the only thing Kurogane could think of would be that it felt powerful and…magical. _'Get to the Essence and unseal it.'_

'_I don't have magic.'_ Kurogane replied, furrowing his brows to understand what this man was getting at. He vaguely wondered why he was not even bothered by the fact that he was hallucinating in the middle of a war. This had to be a hallucination, after all. Maybe that final blow from the Shaman had given him a concussion?

'_I know.' _the man nodded, _'but__you can still use this spell. I had initially planned on serving as a distraction for the Shaman while you did the unsealing when I created the spell, but this is much better.' _The man was speaking rather hurriedly now. _'I don't have much time to explain it all. Just know that the minute you get back to the real world, you need to make a run for the inner chambers. I'll handle the rest. Trust me on this and just do as I say.'_ And then the world was back to the way it was, with the Oracle standing in front of him in what may have appeared to be a protective manner though Kurogane now knew to be his way of drawing attention away from Kurogane. Knowing he did not have a lot of time, Kurogane decided to put his faith in whatever plan the blind man had come up with and race for the inner chambers.

A powerful blast of magic hit the roof of the tunnel right after he had crossed over the threshold and Kurogane bit his tongue to keep from cursing the bastard to hell and back. _This_was his brilliant plan?! He heard the hunter scream in rage over the thunderous crashes of the rocks nipping his heels as he put more effort into picking up some speed. The sound of metal striking against metal reached his ears as Kurogane swore to all the gods he believed in that the minute this shit was over, the Oracle was getting his head bashed for this stunt.

_**A/N: And how many of you were expecting the hated Shaman to be that world's version of Tomoyo? I bet none of you saw that one coming. xD**_

_**Kurogane had been contemplating on springing a deal along these lines on the Shaman when Nixon had first revealed about the impending attack and his inability to pay the price asked by the Shaman. I realized in the manga, Kurogane appeared to Yuuko's price without even knowing what it had entailed and though yes he had put his faith in Mokona's trust on the witch, I still think it could have come back to bite him in the ass. This time around, Kurogane had put faith in his own ability to do whatever was necessary to help his friends that he somewhat neglected to take into account the reason why Nixon had refused the Shaman's offer. **_

_**I know many of you would disagree with me on this but Kurogane does not hold people who have no care for their lives in very high regards and Nixon had been categorized in that list when he pulled that stunt in the catacombs after they had gotten Fai back. Because of this and the fact that Nixon did admit to doing selfish things for Masooma where Fai was concerned or rather Kurogane getting a glimpse at the thoughts running in his head somewhat made him dismissive of the Oracle as just another selfish fool. Admit it! You know he thought of Fai in the same way in the beginning of the manga. ;P So putting that together with the fact Kurogane has just been itching to do something to make it better for Fai- he dismissed Nixon's undisclosed reasons as something selfish and trite and offered to pay it himself. Poor guy was in for another surprise but he recovered real quick and decided that he would **_**not**_** screw this one up no matter what.**_

_**Masooma knows she's pretty much walking to her death, despite all their defenses and Nixon's plan and all and thus is justifiably worried about what her death might do to the two people who are counting on her the most at present. She doesn't want to die and she will fight to live but being a realist in the face of such hopelessness she is trying to mentally prepare herself for whatever comes her way. I finally got around to shedding some light on how her powers work. The basic concept for it all was drawn from the way Fai's magic works. Tsubasa wiki and several other online sources stated that Fai's magic is balanced in this manner , and because the eye he had when they went to Celes was the one which decreased his magic, Kuro was able to swap all of Fai for just his arm which had equal amounts of magic at that stage and we all saw how tiny a spell Fai had used on him had been. **_

_**I always got the feel that the source of Fai's magic was not common knowledge but I justify Masooma knowing about it due to the fact that Fai had a brief stint as the Oracle and nearly died in the process and since she had been his apprentice and a healer-in-training at that time, she would have found out about it one way or the other.**_

_**The names for all of Kurogane's attacks were taken from an online source- including the size of the blue dragon summoned through Tenman Kuuryuusen. Since I know my beta won't be the only person wondering how a dragon that big would into a small cavern, it's mainly just an embodiment of Kurogane's aura through his family techniques. What Kurogane does is not magic but since I never actually found an explanation for how his techniques worked, I came up with the explanation that it's just his aura manifesting itself in a physical manner. The reason why Kurogane was sweeping the floor with the Shaman- considering how I made it to be almost impossible to beat previously- is related to why it looks so much like Tomoyo. **_

_**IMPORTANT NOTE:**__** I have put up a companion one-shot piece titled 'The Breaking' that will be shedding some light on the history of this world and why the Shaman shares the same face as Tomoyo so I would recommend you go to my profile and check it out. ;) It will also shed a little bit of light on how Nixon's plan would work.**_

_**Long rambly note finally done and over with. I would love to hear your thoughts on the latest developments so please drop me a review. Till next time.**_


	58. Battle for Magihidusi I

**_A/N: I must say it was rather hard to write this chapter down mainly because pretty much all my plunnies went on strike even though I have the plot outline finalized and all. In the two months since I last updated, I only got about four reviews. Normally I'm not once to complain about the number of reviews or anything but since it did have me kind of worried since the number plummeted from an average of 10 or 11 per chapter to a 4. What's wrong guys? Don't you like the story anymore? If you have something to complain about, I won't be able to change it unless you tell me. With that out of the way, enjoy the update._**

Sakura hurried along the empty tunnels, trying to figure out where Fai could have gone. Given the fact that she had not been away from him for even five minutes, he could not have strayed too far, but the catacombs were a labyrinth designed to confuse whoever entered them. She could be stuck searching for him for days, maybe even missing him by mere feet. With the battle for Magihidusi having already begun- from the sounds of that explosion- she did not have the luxury of time on her hands. She had to find the blond vampire and get him back to the safe room. He was in no condition to defend himself, let alone fight an opponent on equal ground.

His magic was completely out of control and wild and his vampire half had been locked away. And who knew what might happen if the seal she had placed on him were to break somehow. The spell was not foolproof, after all and-oh, she had to find him as soon as she could. She had been entrusted to keep Fai and Tsubasa safe and she had failed rather spectacularly at that. What if the blond was recaptured? She knew he would never survive another round of the torture he had been put through. His mind was already so broken and fragile. The smallest of things could destroy him completely and it had already taken so much to get him to even be what he currently was.

As she took a quick right in this maze of never-ending tunnels, Sakura vowed to find Fai before anyone else did. They had all done so much to keep her other self safe during that journey, the blond playing the role of the mother that the princess never had- always lending an ear when she had felt insecure about something and always having something positive to say to her to bring her hopes up. She would repay him for what he did. She would protect him and keep him safe now just like he had done for her other self on that journey. She caught a flash of blond a little ways ahead and broke out into a run, just stopping herself from calling out for the blond at the last minute because only an idiot would alert possible enemies lurking about in the shadows to their position that way. She came to a tiny opening- there were numbers of those in these tunnel systems, tiny to medium-sized caverns that could house up to thirty men and still have room to spare-and felt her heart skip a beat.

_This can't be happening._

Fai was there in the middle of the cave, looking around with such a hopelessly lost look on his face, blue eyes wandering, searching… but what made her blood run cold was the fact that there had to be at least five men-no, wait- five _hunters_ leering at the magician with their weapons drawn and predatory gazes fixated on him. Only a second seemed to pass as she stood frozen where she was, but in that second, an eternity passed by. All those moments that she or her other self had ever passed with Fai flashed before her eyes: that time he taught her to bake, that time when they painted the sign board for the Cat's-Eye Café, that time when he comforted her as she wept over the loss of Syaoran in Infinity, that time when he brought her a cherry blossom-shaped hair clip from their journey, that time when he- she forced herself to snap out of those recollections because really, this wasn't the time or the place for her to flash back to the past.

Fai seemed to have realized that something was amiss, for he seemed to shrink in on himself before taking a step back. It broke her to see him so afraid, but she drew her swords and mentally promised the blond she'd keep him safe. Then she was racing towards the group of hunters with an enraged battle-cry, descending upon those monsters like a fury, magic automatically crackling above her skin in excitement for the battle ahead. Fai retreated to one of the tunnels leading away from the cavern and Sakura saw two of the hunters break off from the group fighting her to chase after the blond, but she was there before them.

"_I'll_ be your opponent." She hissed in a voice so foreign that for a fraction of a moment even she had to wonder if she had been the one to speak at all. Before she could think on it, though, a bullet whizzed through the air towards her and the fight began.

-0-

Blood rushed through her veins as she ducked under a strike aimed for her head and whirled around with a kick, sending the man flying into the wall. Magic rose at a wordless command from her, dancing around her in crimson threads as tiny shrapnel from the rubble of a destroyed building behind her shot towards the man she had just knocked down. He only had a fraction off a second to widen his eyes in shock before the projectiles were embedded deep in his body, a wordless gurgle emerging from his throat as he slumped back to the ground and moved no more.

"So Bauld was right about you after all," drawled the silver-haired woman from where she stood, coal-colored eyed narrowed at Masooma in what could have been a contemplative look before she glanced at the party of four hunters standing next to her. "Well, boys, looks like the little Guardian-bitch has finally gotten some guts. How about you put her back in her place? Whoever knocks her down can have the first round with her."

Masooma shot a glare at the woman that could have burnt the entirety of Magihidusi a hundred times over in the blink of an eye if such a thing were possible before the witch had to divert her attention towards the hunters coming her way. She could not afford to lose. Not here. Not like this. Not to someone like _them._

Deciding she did not actually want to keep any of these monsters alive-for they were not human, not with those leering grins and those hate-filled eyes- she spun around her staff, an arc of crimson slicing through the air though the hunters raised their respective weapons to neutralize the magical attack. Not pausing for even half a breath, she blasted off another spell, intent on using the magic as a distraction for her physical attacks. Blocking a battle-axe with her staff, Masooma rolled out of the trajectory of the brown-eyed man attacking her, flipping to her feet and bending backwards the next moment to avoid the sword that tried to slice her in half. A heavy war-hammer slammed into the ground where she had been only a second later as the close proximity of the Cerellium weapons seemed to drain her of her magic.

Dodging out of the way of more attacks, Masooma slowly began to lead her attackers towards the unstable building she had had some of the patrol guard rig for her earlier in the day. Her gaze flickered to where the silver-haired woman stood, observing the fight with a gleeful expression. Blocking the battle-axe swinging towards her head using her staff, she concentrated on a rune-less spell, activating the trap as she pushed the man back with a cry and jumped out of the way as an unstable wall came crashing down on two hunters. She smiled grimly as flecks of blood sprayed her face. Two down, three to go.

The apprentice licked her lips as she met Masooma's cool gaze, anticipation lighting up the former's dark eyes as her mouth formed a twisted smile. Unwinding the whip she had attached to her belt, she cracked the Cerellium weapon in the air as she took a step towards the witch.

"They say never send a man to do a woman's job."

A whoosh through the air alerted Masooma of the sword coming for her head- all of them seemed rather intent on decapitating her. Hurriedly erecting a shield behind her, she tried to slow the weapon's progress even as she brought her staff around to block the strike.

"But then again," she heard the woman say as the witch tried to push the burly man away,"men do seem to have their uses."

-0-

Kurogane was pissed. No. He was _beyond_ pissed. That useless Oracle had told him to find the fucking Essence and unseal the damn thing. How the hell was he supposed to do that when he didn't even know just what the hell it was supposed to look like or what this spell he supposedly could use was? It should have been the Oracle coming here after the Essence with Kurogane back in that cave fighting the hunter and buying him time, not the other way around.

He clambered to his feet, eyes slowly adjusting to the seemingly-dark cave, though the longer he stood where he was, the more he could feel the vibrations of… _something_, warm and gentle, playful and innocent-yet indescribably unyielding and cruel. He looked up and past the veil of darkness that seemed to blind his senses, he could sense the thing. Well…it looked like he had found the Essence. Closing his eyes, he tried to locate the foreign warmth that had buried itself inside his body in the other cave when he had the vision, but the power was nowhere to be seen. On top of that, melting into shape right in front of him was the Shaman without her cloak.

_It's not Tomoyo_, he mentally reminded himself even as her familiar face seemed to observe him rather closely. This…this _thing_…it wasn't the princess. It wasn't even anything like any other world's version of his princess. It was her complete opposite in everything except its looks. Its aura was violent and dark and angry, magic too inhuman and behavior too…unlike the Nihonian priestess for him to actually connect the two on any level beyond their physical appearance. Immediately on guard, he brought his sword up in a defensive stance that could just as easily be switched to something offensive as he glared at the apparition through narrowed eyes.

"Back for more?" he growled low in his throat, pushing away everything about this thing before him that tried to remind him of Tomoyo. No one had ever seen the Shaman's face before, so…maybe this was just the bastard's way of throwing him off guard. It was taking on the face of someone he cared about just to mess with his head. Yeah, that was probably it.

"What are your intentions for the Essence, mortal?" the thing asked in _her_ voice, though it was still far too cool and inhuman. It was like someone had taken the princess and morphed and mutated her into this thing that stood before him. There was no way at all that this could ever be Tomoyo.

"You damn well know what my intentions are." He responded. Still on guard, he took a calculated step in the Shaman's direction.

"You are correct. We _do_ know." The Shaman nodded, "But we do not believe you. Prove to us that you truly are worthy of this task the Oracle has entrusted you with."

"What are you getting at?" he couldn't help but narrow his eyes in suspicion. "Are you saying that if I prove myself worthy you'll let me get on with the unsealing? I won't be letting you go back on your word to heal the mage."

The Shaman merely quirked the right edge of its lips in something resembling the mockery of a smile before magic from all around the cave rushed towards him in a torrent of blinding, scalding light. Closing his eyes against the assault, he turned to his sixth sense, yelling out the name of a technique that would hopefully be strong enough to defend him from the assault. "Chi Ryu Jinenbu!"

Golden light erupted from his blade, swirling around him in a torrent of power, snarling and raging like the most ancient of dragons as it pushed back against the Shaman's attack. Sweat began to bead his brow as he tried to concentrate on keeping the technique up long enough for the attack to fizzle out. Unable to see any way out of the assault, the ninja shifted his stance and sliced through the air. "Hikougeki!" he cried, cutting a way out of the trap as he raced after the lightning dragon and swung his sword at the Shaman's head. The being merely swung its hand and a dark spell sent the warrior flying across the cavern and crashing into the wall.

The Essence above him began to grow agitated, snake-like tendrils reaching out to probe the cavern beneath it before retracting as an angry buzz echoed all around the cave, like a swarm of angry bees just waiting to strike.

"No mortal has ever dared to set foot in this sacred place without our permission." The Shaman drawled in a condescending manner as it slowly approached Kurogane who struggled to climb back to his feet. Every inch of his body hurt and his muscles and bones screamed in protest against all movement even as he pushed himself off the ground. "Did you really think a weakling like you could just walk in here and undo what we have spent a millennia protecting? This is your last chance to forfeit. Leave before our hand is forced."

"You immortal bastards think you're so high and mighty." He spat a mouthful of blood and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand as he glowered at the thing that dared to wear his princess's face. "I'd die before turning my back on my friends."

"Very well then," the Shaman drew itself to its full height as the Essence itself began to trickle down the walls and envelop the entity within its cocoon as it walked towards the panting Kurogane, "this cave shall be your grave." It said, pausing only half a foot away from the warrior, cold, lavender eyes boring into his own as he tried not to flinch at the raw power now radiating off of the thing. The Tomoyo look-alike summoned the darkest of spells in the palm of her hand as she looked at him without any emotion whatsoever. Knowing he was dying either way, he turned Ginryuu and thrust the sword hilt-deep into the Shaman's chest just as the spell shot off towards his head. The last thing he saw was the slightest widening of Tomoyo's- no, the Shaman's eyes-as the world vanished around him.

**_A/N: Sakura is being a total badass but will she be strong enough to protect Fai from the hunters? And will Masooma be able to take on the hunter's apprentice and her lackies at the same time? So Kurogane stabbed the Shaman but did he succeed in defeating it? Or did they both kill each other off? I left you off on a cliffie here but hopefully my plunnies will be inspired enough for me to actually finish this fic off sooner than later. Remember, reviews feed and inspire the plunny so let's all help them out by leaving more reviews._**

**_P.S. Guys, check out the companion fic I wrote to this titled 'The Breaking'. It covers the reason why Shaman shares Tomoyo's face. ;) _**


	59. Battle for Magihidusi II

**_A/N: I don't really have much to say here for the time being except that, there are two more chapters and one epilogue left till Broken ends. With that out of the way, enjoy the update._**

_He was running through the narrow tunnels, the walls opening up before him to cut a straight passage to the very heart of the Complex and the Shaman's magic creating a protective cocoon around him to ward off any and all attacks from the hunters that were hot on his trail. He could see her fading aura up ahead; an orb of light so dull and weak it felt like the faintest of gusts would snuff the life out of it. He skidded to a halt right outside of the room that held her. Remembering the warning that the Shaman had given him about not killing anyone, no matter what he found, he had to physically reel in all his magic before he sent out a focused spell that blasted the wall apart. He might not have been able to see, but the reeking stench of blood and sex was all he needed to know what had happened. The only reason why he did not tear the bastard standing over her shuddering body with a blood covered scalpel apart was the knowledge that killing him would cause the Shaman to retract on its promise to get them both to safety the minute he had her with him. _

_A team of medics was on standby back at Magihidusi, awaiting their arrival. Dodging the scalpel thrown at him by the bastard cutting her up, he ran forth with an enraged roar. Tackling the man around his middle and bashing his head against the wall, he darted towards the life that was fading away on the metal bench. Grabbing hold of her hand, he felt the promised magic whisking them both to safety, healers rushing forth to take her from him as he slumped down on the cold stone floor, all his rage suddenly transformed into crushing helplessness as she continued to slowly drift away._

"I still haven't thanked you for the scar you gave me that night," Bauld sneered at him as he wiped off the blood dripping into his eyes from the cut on his forehead.

"You're lucky I was more worried about getting her out of that hell," he responded icily, summoning his knives back to himself with a lazy swipe of his hand, "or I would have taken my time cutting you up bit by tiny bit."

Before their fight had even begun, Nixon pushed all his emotions except for his hatred for the man before him to the back of his mind. Focusing on that feeling alone, he had been able to clear his mind of all the worries and fears and dreads about what might be happening to his friends all over the city. He wanted to completely destroy this bastard for what he had done. And he would do so, before the night was over. Casting a spell in the darkest of runes, he let his magic whip through the air like a spike aiming for the hunter's heart. The man dodged the spell, Nixon's magic scratching the Cerellium armor where it nicked him before the hunter was completely clear of it. The bald-headed man's aura flared in surprise for the briefest of moments as he realized that even the magic-nullifying metal was not enough to protect him from the Oracle's wrath. Casting twin spells with his knives, he dashed across the cavern towards the hunter, ducking under the battle-axe as it tried to take off his head.

_Going to the infirmary to see her, dread bubbled up inside his stomach as his footsteps automatically hastened. He knew something was wrong the instant he came upon her sitting by the window. Her aura was in turmoil, moving about inside her weakened body like a caged animal, threatening to break free and decimate everything in its path, though she probably wasn't aware of it as she seemed to stare at something in her hand rather intently. His blood ran cold when he realized that that something was a scalpel, resting against the skin of her wrist. He raced inside, banishing the sharp tool from her hands before pulling her into his arms. She flinched at his touch, her entire body stiffening in his hold for exactly three seconds before she started screaming._

The hunter deflected his knives, metal screaming against metal as their fight became one of strength. The hunter was forced to push away when the spells the Oracle had cast went for the red-eyed man from both sides. Taking advantage of his opponent's retreat, Nixon lashed out with his heel, catching the hunter's leg. The latter grabbed the Oracle's arm, trying to use the momentum to his advantage by throwing him around. Nixon, however, managed to twist his body in mid-flight, landing in a neat crouch a little ways away. He grinned when his opponent's aura changed color in pain. Summoning his dagger from where he had plunged it into the hunter's shoulder while the bastard had been trying to throw him, Nixon straightened just a little.

-0-

Knocking the third hunter into a stone wall and hearing the satisfying crack as his skull bashed against the rock and he fell to the ground, Sakura tried not to let her exhaustion get to her. She still had to protect Fai. The barest of screams escaped her lips as a sword sliced off a thin layer of flesh off her back. The princess whirled around to block the follow-up attack, trying to figure out where the last hunter was. Her heart nearly sank into the pit of her stomach when she realized that the man was gone. But the reason for her dread was the fact that Fai was as well.

With an enraged cry, she pushed back against the pale-skinned hunter, trying to refrain from calling on her magic for an attack spell. It would not do to waste her magic on something that wouldn't even work against an opponent protected by Cerellium. Pushing the sword-wielder's blade back on itself, Sakura thrust one of her short swords around behind the hunter's neck, forcing him to move closer to her in order to avoid the attack. She saw the man's eyes widen in realization as she drove the second sword towards his exposed side, his steps faltering in preparation for the onslaught of pain that raced through his body as Sakura pushed her weapons into his body. Blood sprayed across her hand and arm as the hunter dropped with a scream. Pulling out the sword, she did not even bother to spare the fallen man a second glance as she tore through the tunnels in pursuit of Fai and the last hunter.

Sakura knew the men she had left behind would live because she did not want to take another human's life. But that did not mean that the princess was above crippling them. Those monsters deserved to live with the pain of knowing that they would never be able to use some part of their body ever again. After everything that they had done not only to her friends but to all those other magicians whose spirits were still trapped in the stone walls of the Complex, she knew they deserved that much at least.

-0-

He wandered through the familiar-looking tunnels, wondering why those men had wanted to hurt him. Fai had not done anything to hurt those men. But they had tried to come after him…and Sakura had been fighting them. Why had Sakura been fighting those men? Why had they tried to hurt Fai? Maybe he should have stayed to help…but…what if they hurt him? They had wanted to hurt him. They had told him that before…before Sakura had started fighting them. Was she fighting them because they wanted to hurt Fai?

Maybe Fai should have stayed to help…but Fai could not fight… No, wait. He had his magic. He tried to reach inside himself for it. The light blue of his magic was just there. Just a little out of his reach, but it rose to his call. Or it would have, but a barrier slammed into its path and it sank back down. Feeling scared as shadows danced all around him, Fai froze where he was. A tiny whimper formed in his throat as he realized his magic was blocked. Why was his magic blocked? He closed his eyes, concentrating on calling it back out. The blue slammed into the barrier again before sinking back down.

The blond slipped to his knees, shoulders hunching as the shadows creeped closer to him. A pitiful whine escaped his lips the third time the barrier blocked his magic from reaching him and he curled further into himself. Set to the rhythm of the dancing shadows, the sound of footsteps approached where the blond lay on the ground.

-0-

"I liked you so much better with short hair." The woman drawled as Masooma tried to fight off the behemoth of a hunter trying to back her into a corner. It didn't help that the woman was using her Cerellium-barbed whip to herd her back like a shepherd would his cattle. Her gaze searched around the cave for the third hunter, finding him leaning against the wall to catch his breath, "Maybe I'll give you another haircut before I kill you."

Growling low in her throat, the witch spoke no words as she returned her attention to her current opponents, dropping into a low crouch to keep the barbed wire from scratching her face off when the female hunter flung it in her direction. She rolled out of the way of an oncoming blow from the male hunter, the earth where she had been moments before cracking under the force of the attack. Using her staff to deflect the silver-haired woman's whip, she jumped to her feet. Deciding that it would be best to get rid of the close-range fighter first, she raced towards the man with a vicious battle cry.

Calling on just a little bit of her magic, she pushed her body to move a little faster, diving out of the way of the sword of her second opponent at a speed that normal humans could not reach. Using her momentum to her advantage, she pushed off the ground with her hands in order to flip back to her feet right behind the man. Still moving at super-human speed, she spun around, swinging the staff through the air with her until the metal hit the man right in the throat. His eyes bulged out in their sockets as she heard the sickening crunch of cartilage giving way. The sword dropped from her opponent's hand, even as the man made to grab at his neck, choking on blood as the strangest of sounds came from his mouth. One blow to the head later, the man dropped to the ground like a felled log.

Erecting the strongest shield she could summon around her to protect herself from the female hunter's weapon, the witch allowed herself to stand over the fallen man, watching the way life was slowly snuffed out of those hate-filled black eyes. Surprisingly enough, she felt no remorse in having taken yet another living being's life. If anything, a deep sense of satisfaction filled her for a moment, even as the repeated attacks from the silver-haired woman and her remaining partner were beginning to cause cracks in her shield. That monster would never hurt another person, ever again. It was only when the last of the choked sounds completely stopped that Masooma finally returned her attention to the final two hunters.

-0-

_His head pounded in tempo with his heartbeat as he kept a vigilant watch over the witch. Sobs shook her fevered body even in her sleep, though she had yet to wake up after she had passed out somewhere in her screaming fit nearly a week ago. The healers told him that her body was merely trying to set itself right, her magic too diminished from the careless haircut she had received in the Complex to be of much use to help her heal on her own. _

_He tried not to flinch at the heat radiating off her body as he caught hold of her hand, her fingers trembling in his palm as a couple of stray tears leaked out her closed eyes, same as they had been doing for the past four days. _

Growling in rage, the hunter rushed at him, going on the offensive with a flurry of rapid attacks that forced Nixon back a couple of steps. The hunter followed up on this advance with a slash of his axe to Nixon's left, forcing the Oracle to dodge to the right. His opponent had been counting on that as he was there in a heartbeat, the battle-axe trying to slice up his throat even as Nixon hastily erected a shield to block the attack. The sharp blade cut through his shield like tissue paper, buryingitself in the flesh of his forearm almost halfway to the bone before his magic strengthened enough to push the metal back out. Black ribbons of magic materialized around the wound to stem the flow of blood as Nixon once again moved to the offensive.

_The water was freezing in the tiny shower stall he found her hunched up under the night she was released from the infirmary. Her skin felt colder still as he shut the water off and tried to pull her out. Not even realizing her state of undress, the witch only looked up at him with a tear-stained face, her short hair plastered to her face as she kept on scrubbing her already-raw skin. _

_"I can't clean it off…" she admitted as broken sobs spilled from her throat, "No matter what I do, I can't clean it off."_

_The barely- healed scars on her stomach felt almost scalding in comparison to the rest of her as he pulled the scratchy washcloth out of her fingers and pulled her to her feet, wrapping a towel around her trembling frame before guiding her to her new room._

"I wonder how your little bitch will react when she sees the state of your body once I'm through with you." The hunter hissed, blocking the Oracle's knife with his axe before charging.

Refusing to rise to the bait, the dark-haired magician only dodged out of the way of the attack, bringing up his second knife to slice through the tendon at the hunter's calf as they crossed each other.

-0-

"Did you think curling up on the floor with your tail between your legs would make me spare your life, you Magi scum?" Fai heard an angry voice say, causing the blond to look up. He had black eyes with equally dark hair. He looked at Fai with hatred, making the blond scrabble across the ground to put some distance between them.

Why did this man hate him? Was he going to hurt him? He did not want to be hurt. He did not like being in pain, but…this man looked at him like everyone had looked at him and his brother. Did this man hate him for being a twin of misfortune? But…Fai had not done anything to hurt him. Why would he want to hurt Fai when Fai had not even done anything to him?

"What's this?" the man laughed mockingly as he took another step closer. Fai pushed two steps back, "Nothing to say for yourself? I can see that you're afraid of me," he kept on advancing until the blonde's back hit the stone, "as you should be." hissed the black-eyed man.

"N-No…" he whimpered, the silkiest of whispers caressing the distant corners of his mind as the barrier inside him wavered. He did not like this. He did not like this man. He wanted to go away from here. Fai was scared and…this man was going to hurt him!

"No?" the man growled menacingly and Fai pushed back even more. He had to get away. He had to get away. He had to get away or this man would hurt him and… Fai did not want to be hurt. Screwing his eyes closed, he tried to reach for his magic again. The blue rose, collided with the barrier and sank back down. More wordless whispers sounded in the back of his mind. "'No' what? No, you're not scared?" the man laughed and it echoed all around him. His magic rose once again, collided with the barrier and fell back down. More whispers, more whispers.

Cold fingers closed around his throat, lifting him off the ground as he tried to push the man away. His heart thundered inside him as the whispers grew louder. The laughter grew louder. Magic rose, collided and fell. Rose, collided and fell. He scratched at the hand holding him up. Get away. He had to get away. He did not want to be hurt. No pain. No more pain. No. No. No. No. Magic rose, collided and something cracked. The whispers grew louder but there were no words. The man was speaking but he did not know what he was saying. Everything was spinning and spinning and magic rose again, cracks spread and he had to get away! No more pain! Couldn't breathe, couldn't breathe, power rose, something shattered. Get away, get away, get away! Magic burst out of him in an uncontrolled torrent, power flaring through his veins as the man began to scream.

Fear vanished and anger appeared. He wanted to hurt him. That man had wanted to hurt him. That man had wanted to hurt Fai! Fai would hurt _him!_

"No more pain." Fai hissed at the hunter. The black-eyed man still had his fingers wrapped around Fai's throat, even though he was screaming and trying to let go. Fai caught hold of his wrist and the man screamed louder."You won't hurt Fai."

Uncontrolled magic poured from his body into the other through the points of contact, the man screaming and screaming and screaming. Fai did not care. His magic ripped through the man's body, tearing it apart from the inside as he began to cry tears of blood, more crimson leaking from every opening in his body, his mouth, his nose, his ears, even from under his nails, but he did not stop. It was only when the man when to the floor in a lifeless, bloodied heap that Fai finally realized what had happened. Eyes going wide, he stayed where he was to stare at the bloodied corpse for exactly three seconds before he was pushing away and running and running and running, the sounds of screeching metal and falling rocks and magic crackling through the air growing closer and closer.

-0-

Her heart hammered against her ribcage as she ran through the darkened tunnels without any sense of direction. She was only spurred on the by the immense need to find Fai before the final hunter or someone else from the attacking party found him. The hilts of her blood-covered swords felt comfortingly warm in her sweaty palms, the weight providing her with the reassuring comfort that she was strong enough to do this. That she was strong enough to protect someone, for a change. Hearing the sounds of an ongoing scuffle down a tunnel that branched off from the one she was in somewhere to her right, she skidded to a halt for just a moment. Hastily backtracking to the opening, she didn't wait to make out who the voices yelling up ahead could belong to as she tore down the narrow passageway. Ignoring the nausea bubbling its way up inside her at the thought of what might happen to the blond if she did not get to him in time, Sakura pushed herself to overcome the screaming pain in her muscles begging for relief.

She had been pushing herself to her limits ever since Kurogane had returned to Clow with Tsubasa, and now…now it seemed like she would have to push herself just a little further. Besides, there would be plenty of time to rest once this fight was over. Right now, her exhaustion, her pain, none of that mattered, heck _she_ didn't matter. No. What mattered was that she to get to Fai before anyone else did. So she ran and ran and ran until the sounds of fighting were upon her. She came to a brightly-lit opening- a branch of the sun caves. Her green eyes widened just a little as she saw members of the Magihidusi Guard locked in a bloody battle against the Hunters.

A severed head flew through the air to land right at her feet. A keening wail formed and died in her throat as empty blue eyes, set in a pale face framed by choppy blond hair, stared right up at her. Giving in to the urge to be sick, she staggered a few feet away, dropping to her knees as her stomach emptied itself of its contents. Tears streamed down her face, mixing with the acidic bile dripping from her lips as her entire body shook with sobs.

**_A/N: And it looks like things took a turn for the worst after all. Drop me a review and share your thoughts._**

**_Till next time guys._**


	60. Burning Fires

**_A/N: Seriously guys, have most of you stopped reading this fic so close to the ending or something? This chapter is for all the awesome people who reviewed the last chapter. _**

**_Enjoy~_**

Refusing to show any weakness, Masooma stood tall before her opponents even as her barrier spell finally gave out under the collective assault of the female hunter's whip and the last male hunter's battle hammer. Readjusting her grip on her staff, the witch narrowed her eyes at the amount of rage that seemed to flash across the female hunter's face at the sight of that particular hunter's fall. Staying on the defensive for just a little bit longer as she tried to put some distance between herself and her opponents, Masooma couldn't help but internally quirk a brow at the other woman.

"What's wrong?" The witch finally spoke for the very first time ever since their fight had begun, "You seem particularly upset about the hunter I just killed. Was he someone special to you?"

The only response she got from the woman was a crazed snarl as she flew at Masooma, closing the distance between the two of them as she discarded her whip and pulled out a silver knife instead. Masooma was ready for her. Had been, in fact, counting on such a violent reaction from the female hunter, as she brought up the staff to block the weapon made of pure Cerellium. Metal screamed against metal before Masooma called on just a little more of her magic, immediately feeling the draining effects of her opponent's weapon, forcing the witch to summon more of her power to strengthen her slowly tiring body.

"I'll make sure your death is as drawn out as long as humanly possible." The woman hissed at her, black eyes burning in hatred as the two came to a stalemate. The standoff was broken only by the attack of the remaining hunter, which forced Masooma to dodged out of the way or risk having her skull cave in. Keeping her eyes on both opponents, Masooma tried to decide on whom to finish off first, chest heaving from exhaustion as the two hunters teamed up and began cornering her once again.

-0-

Sakura wiped her mouth with the back of her hand, gasping for breath as she looked over her shoulder towards the fallen head. Climbing back to her feet, she made her way back on shaky legs, trying not to throw up again. She had to know…she had only just caught sight of blue eyes and blond hair but…it couldn't be Fai…no…not when they had all gone through so much to get him back. She was supposed to find him before anything happened to him! He couldn't be dead just like that! Not when…not when she had been entrusted to keep him safe…

Mustering up all the courage she had, she dared to look back at the severed head, body nearly sagging with relief when she realized that the face was a little too round, the nose a little too flat to belong to the wizard she knew. Not a heartbeat later, she felt guilty for feeling so relieved over someone else's death. She was saved from further guilt as her sixth sense picked up danger in her immediate vicinity. Her body moved of its own accord to block the sword coming down at her with her own weapon.

-0-

Magic pushing, pulsing, reaching out and coming back. Keep moving. Keep looking. Searching. Shadows everywhere. Menacing, screaming, reaching out with greedy hands to pull him in. Keep moving, keep moving. Not safe. He had to find her. She was here somewhere. Had to find her before they did. She would be in danger. Had to protect her. Not safe. Shadows everywhere. Whispers caressing him softly. Still no words but whispers remained. Danger everywhere. Not safe. No place was safe. Had to find her. Had to protect her. Had to keep his promise.

Magic pushed out, spread against the shadows, making way as he hurried on. More magic up ahead. Familiar. But there was pain. Exhaustion. Danger. Danger. Not safe! Had to get to her! Had to keep his promise. Had to protect her. Bright light. Fire everywhere. Destruction. Death. Blood. Moving fast, shadows, enemies. She was alone. Had to help her. Had to keep her safe.

Barriers slammed around him, leeching his magic, pulling, pulling, pulling. Growing weaker. Fear. Not strong enough. Not strong enough. He was scared. What could he do? He was not strong enough. He could not fight. He was weak. He was scared.

-0-

Masooma caught a flash of blond out of the corner of her eye, eyes going wide when she realized who it was. What was he doing here?! He was supposed to be safe with the others. Why was he here? He shouldn't be here. What if the seal broke? What if… what if? Her moment of distraction nearly caused her to lose her head as the silver-haired woman slashed at her neck. The hunters had not quite yet noticed his presence but it would only be a matter of time. And Fai was in no state to protect himself. She had to do something and fast. Slowly pulling away from the current spot they were fighting in, Masooma began to lead her opponents in the direction opposite to the blond, hoping it would be enough for the time being. Her worry for Fai's safety only seemed to distract her from the task at hand, the female hunter's weapon grazing the back of her neck even as she dodged out of the way.

It was only a moment later that she realized the full extent of what had just happened as a thick braid of hair fell to the ground with a dull thud, her body immediately feeling the effects as it lost more than four-fifths of the source of its magic. A scream escaped her lips as the female hunter's weapon finally found its mark and buried itself halfway into her shoulder. Even her opponent seemed a little stunned for a moment as she realized she had finally managed to hurt the witch before a smirk lit her up face, twisting it into something ugly and cruel. The sharp blade twisted inside her flesh, eliciting another cry from her as the woman began laughing.

"Oh, this is just hilarious!" she cackled manically, pulling the knife out but jamming her thumb in the wound only a heartbeat later, digging her sharp nail into the injured flesh viciously as she forced the witch to her knees. "_That_ was the source of all your magic?" she spat, kicking at the fallen hair with her heel-clad feet in disdain. "The mighty Guardian of Magihidusi had _magical _hair! This is just too priceless for words." She said, laughing even harder, all the while pushing her thumb deeper into the wound.

Masooma felt a ringing in her ears as a bout of nausea and dizziness bolted through her whole body, even as she tried her best to glare back at the woman. But the exhaustion, coupled with the loss of so much magic and added to the pain now flaring through her body thanks to the nail digging into the hole in her shoulder was enough to leave her panting for breath. She could only hope that Fai had managed to leave undetected before he was spotted.

"Masooma-chan?"That name, uttered in that voice, sounding so scared and confused, was enough to cause her stomach to drop in fear as her heart skipped a beat.

"No…" she gasped weakly, even as the male hunter began advancing on the cowering blond in a predatory manner. "Leave him alone!" she screamed, finding just enough magic to cast one last powerful attack at the hunter. Her desperation made the magic strong enough for it to pierce through the Cerellium armor and send the man crashing to the ground without even so much as a tiny oh. He lay at Fai's feet, unmoving and very clearly dead. The world around them froze for just a moment before moving again, the female hunter snarling and sending her to the floor with a sharp backhand.

-0-

_He woke to the sound of her screaming in the next room. Not even pausing to pull on a shirt, he darted to her side, trying to rouse her from the nightmare she was clearly having. More than six months had gone by since they had landed in Magihidusi, six months since he had rescued her from that place, six months since Nixon had made the deal with the Shaman and yet…there had been no improvement in Masooma's condition. She moved around in a trance, barely eating, rarely talking, never really listening and slowly wasting away. Now she even refused to sleep on her own anymore, forcing Nixon or one of the other healers to put her under using magic or potions. This girl wasn't even a shell of her former self anymore and it was all _their _fault._

Nixon allowed himself to smirk in satisfaction as he sliced off the leather bands holding the Cerellium armor to the hunter's body. Trying not to think about how he and Fai used to compete over the accuracy of their projectiles back in Celes, Nixon glowered at the panting hunter. Carelessly away wiping the trickle of blood trailing down the side of his own face, the Oracle took another step in the hunter's direction, causing the man's aura to shift colors in alarm and wariness. He only had a split second to sense the attack that came his way next, but that was more than enough for Nixon to dodge out of the way. He followed this with a simple flick of his wrist, hearing the satisfying grunt of pain from his opponent when his weapons met their marks.

_He cast a sidelong glance at the witch standing beside him. Masooma's hair had now grown till her shoulders but despite the restoration of her magic, she still looked like nothing more than a moving, breathing corpse. She still refused to eat, refused to sleep, talk or do anything except stare into space. Reassuring himself that this was the right course of action, Nixon began the summoning spell for the Shaman. She was not getting better on her own and he could only watch her waste away for so long. It had been over a year since they had arrived in Magihidusi and he was desperate enough to call on the immortal being. Surely there was something the Shaman would be able to do to help her._

_As it would turn out, the Shaman did. But like everything else, the deal came with a heavy price. In return for the restoration of her mind, she would have to join the Oracle and become a Guardian._

Nixon attacked the hunter with a spell, taking his time to summon his knives back to his hand even as the dark magic sizzled through the air towards the hunter's exposed body-the loss of the latter's armor had left him vulnerable. The man's scream was raw and full of pain as Nixon's magic wreaked havoc on his body. Bauld fell to the floor as the spell let up enough for him to catch his breath before the Oracle's magic worked its way through his bloodstream. The dark spell was designed not to be fatal, even if the receiver of the curse begged for death. Nixon did not even flinch when the hunter's screams rose in crescendo as magic began to raise the temperature of his opponent's blood until it had to feel like it was literally boiling.

-0-

Wondering if he was dead, he turned his head this way and that, trying not to flinch at the pain that even those small motions seemed to cause him as his senses slowly returned and he realized he was still standing in the cave, Ginryuu buried inside the Shaman's heart and the rest of the world frozen as though the concept of time had somehow come undone.

"I told you not to underestimate me." He finally managed to say, watching as the Shaman looked down in disbelief before looking back at him with something he might have taken as wonder on the face of anyone else but this thing. The Shaman looked down one more time before doing the last thing he would have expected her to do in return for him stabbing her with his sword-she threw back her head and laughed. Not the condescending sound she had made in the other cave where he had challenged her to a fight, but a laugh that was nothing but pure pleasure. Feeling confused at such a reaction he looked down to check if he had somehow missed his target. Nope. The sword was definitely buried in her heart.

"What the hell is it that you find so funny about this?" he hissed through gritted teeth, clearly failing to see the source of the entity's amusement.

"You truly are an incredible human being, Kurogane of Suwa." The Shaman responded with a fond-looking smile as she finally stopped laughing. Her fingers brushed the right side of his face, adding to his confusion even more as she merely phased through the sword and took another step towards him. Kurogane automatically took a step back, or he would have had his entire body not suddenly been frozen in place. The Shaman leaned close enough that her surprisingly-soft hair tickled his skin as her lips brushed his ear. "Every incarnation of you is one of a kind."

He wanted to demand just what the hell she meant by that, but his mouth refused to move as she pulled away and gave him a full-blown grin. "The Oracle was well aware of the fact that the spell he gave you could not be activated without our explicit consent, yet he sent you here anyways." Seeing him struggle against whatever magic she had used on him, her grin grew wider still before she closed the distance between them. Her lips pressed against his in a forced kiss and fire spread out from where she had touched him, something foreign and unwanted invading his entire being, ripping out a pained cry from him as he finally regained the ability to move, his knees giving out beneath him as he tried to come to terms with this… whatever it was that the bastard had done to him.

"What the fuck did you to me?" he grit out through clenched teeth.

"You have proven yourself worthy of our help." the Shaman replied serenely, "The unsealing spell will be channeled through your body. We hope you can keep your word about not going back on your friends."

"Feeling rather chatty now, aren't you?" he grunted, trying to not pay attention to the intense burning that was now ravaging his battered body.

"You should try and locate those memories that live on inside your friends," she continued as though she had not heard him. "You want to restore their bodies, do you not?" she added, quirking a brow as her form began to slowly fade out.

"Wait… what?" Was she saying what he thought she was?

-0-

Sakura was beyond exhausted and it was taking everything she had in her to stay on her feet and fight the twin hunters coming at her again and again. Blood stained their clothes and bodies and not all of it was their own. Their weapons of choice were also swords, the wicked blades gleaming in the light of the enchanted sun as they sliced through the air towards her. Bringing up her own swords to block the attacks, she tried to stop them, feeling her feet skid through the dirt as she was pushed back. She wasn't sure how long she would be able to keep this up. If it lasted too long, she knew she would definitely lose.

As though sensing her in trouble, Captain Numero appeared out of nowhere, expertly forcing the hunters to beat a hasty retreat. He paused to look at her, panting rather heavily as he asked why she was in the caves when she was supposed to have been in the safe room with her friends. She admitted to having lost Fai before the safe room was sealed and watched as alarm flashed across the Captain's face. Telling her he would handle the hunters if they tried to come after her, he urged her to go and find the blond because this was no place for someone like him. Nodding her thanks, she raced back to the tunnel opening, praying to all the gods she believed in that she'd be able to find Fai before something truly terrible happened.

"Leave him alone!" Masooma's scream rang out all around her and Sakura froze for just a moment. Not even knowing why, she began running in the direction of the scream, a sinking feeling in her gut telling her that she would not like what she came across at the end of her run. As though to further impress on her just how bad the situation really was, her magic began to churn inside her body in a way that made her skin crawl and the nausea return. Legs turning to jelly, she collapsed on her knees right outside the entrance to the main cavern of Magihidusi, the once-beautiful city now turned into a heap of half-demolished, half-charred skeletons of buildings. Finding herself unable to breathe, she dropped her swords, clutching at her chest as the world began turning black.

-0-

He was lost in a sea of sounds and voices and screams and cries and laughter. Who was he? What was he doing here? And… did he even have the right to think of himself as a separate entity when there was so much around him? What if he was just like them. A tiny fraction of the whole. But no…he wasn't just a tiny fraction. He was…

_Masooma-chan? _Scared. Weak. Powerless.

_No! _Angry. Frustrated. Helpless.

_I won't give up! _Afraid. Determined.

_Die! _Hate.

_I'll protect them. _Love.

_Leave him alone! _Angry. Helple- he knew that voice. That was the witch!

He latched onto that consciousness, flailing in despair when he passed right through her, once again beginning to drown out in the sea of voices and screams and laughter and cries until... the princess! There she was. And there it was. Pulsing inside her, like a lighthouse in a tumultuous sea, the feather glowed inside her chest. His consciousness closed in around the feather, feeling parts of the magic channeling into the pearl white thing through the connection he had established before he remembered the Shaman's words. He had to find the kid.

-0-

Deep inside the heart of the catacombs, in the safety of the safe room, Tsubasa doubled over in his wheelchair, clutching at his heart as breathing became harder and harder for him. Sweat beaded his brow as his magic slowly stirred inside him. Something foreign and suddenly unwanted tried to push its way out of his body, causing him to scream in pain as he was surrounded in a cloud of forest green, his whole form slowly rising off the ground even as he convulsed and twitched and screamed.

It hurt. Oh, how it hurt. He could feel the insides of his throat tearing themselves apart as the screams escaped from his lips like an endless cacophony of wails and cries. It might not have the worst pain he had felt since the other-no, since the hunters had tortured him, but this…this was even worse in some ways.

**_A/N: only one chapter and an epilogue to go. The next chapter is definitely going to be long with a capital L because that's where it all ends. Tell me what you think. _**

**_P.S. Reviews make the plunnies work faster._**


	61. Brush it Off

**_A/N: It's nearly over! After three years now, Broken is about to end… I hope you enjoy the very last chapter )_**

She tried to push off the ground but every injury she had sustained till that point was now magnified by the sudden shock of losing nearly all her magic. She only managed to rise an inch above the ground before her arms gave out on her. Tears of helplessness prickled her eyes as she collapsed back into the dirt, forced to watch as the woman advanced towards Fai.

"Masooma-chan," The blond whimpered as he began to step back. His frightened gaze darted towards her prone form with nearly every step. Her body may have lacked the strength now, but that did not stop her from trying as she scrabbled against the floor. He looked so scared. She had to…she had to do something…but without her magic, she knew she was powerless.

"Fai…" was all she could croak. She knew hearing her sound so weak would offer him little comfort, but maybe hearing her voice might…help him somehow. It was irrational and stupid and it was only when his complexion paled to nearly sheet-white that she realized that calling out his name had done more harm than good.

"So it _is_ Fai," the hunter declared. A predatory grin stretched across her face as she shot a triumphant look at the witch over her shoulder. "I think I'm going enjoy killing you even more now. As for your beloved Fai," she paused long enough to close the distance between her and the magician before continuing, "I'm going to _love_," her fingers traced random patterns on his chest, "destroying _every_," she grabbed his choppy hair, "single part of him," pulling him closer to her level, "_all over again_." Masooma would have given everything to have Fai whisked away from that place the moment the hunter forced her lips on the blond's. Fai pushed the woman away, staggering back with a horrified yell, blue eyes wide with panic as though he couldn't believe what had just happened.

-0-

The seals were beginning to become undone. He could feel it now, the Essence slowly beginning to fall apart from the singular entity it had been bonded to for who knew how long. The tendrils of magic caressed his body as they dissipated into the world, as though wordlessly thanking him for freedom. But despite the gentleness the escaping magic adopted with him, the seals were just as harsh, refusing to let to go, unwilling to follow the directions of a mere human, trying to wrestle control from him. It hurt like hell, but he knew he couldn't let go.

The spell connected him to the kids and the Essence and the rest of the world and because of that, he could feel everything. In that moment, magic was not just within his grasp but he felt like he could do anything. He could use this new power to decimate those who dared attack this place, who dared to hurt the people he cared about. All he had to do was let go of the kids and refocus this power. This magic. It was all under his control. He could do it. He could save them. All he had to do was let go of the children. Let go and redirect. Capture the Essence and command it. That was all he had to do.

But…how could he let go when the end was so near? With this spell, Tsubasa's debt could finally be paid off and the kids could finally have their bodies back. He couldn't stop. He couldn't let go. He had to hold on.

The seals pushed back even harder, ripping screams from not only himself but Tsubasa as well. The princess was protected just a little by her own power, but even then, Kurogane could feel the pain she felt, the pain _they_ felt. But still he refused to let go. He was nearly there. He could do this. He had to stay strong for their sakes. This was his chance to help them, to make things right for them and he'd be damned if he messed it up.

So he held on and he endured.

-0

It hurt. Oh, God, it hurt. Every inch of her body was burning, lit on fire inside and out, her very blood turning to liquid lava as her body arched in mid-air. Mouth open in a soundless scream, eyes wide open yet still somehow unable to see beyond the white-hot agony that enveloped her whole being, Sakura felt like every part of her was being torn apart by hundreds of thousands of burning needles.

_Hold on, Princess._ She felt the ninja's voice pierce through the agony that consumed her, _Just a little longer. It'll be over soon._

-0-

"Leave him alone…" she rasped, feeling sandpaper scrape the insides of her throat.

"You're in no position to be making demands," the hunter chuckled in delight at the blond's fear of her. Tracing his jaw with a sharp nail, she continued, "But, tell you what. I promise to keep Fai around for a longtime." She moved to his back, picking up her whip from the ground as she went, "He was _such _a good lay the last time around," grabbing both his wrists, she pulled his arms back, "and I can tell he'd be a lot more complacent now."

"W-What?" the question came out sounding weak with disbelief as she froze in the midst of trying to crawl towards Fai.

"Oh, didn't you know?" the woman gasped in faux shock, her amused tone betraying her mirth as she forced the blond to his knees. Fai whimpered in her hold as the Cerellium-barbed whip was used to restrain him but he did not struggle against her. Why wasn't he fighting back? He could get away. He was certainly strong enough for it. Even with his vampire half sealed away, he should have been able to get away. Why was he still there?

-0-

_"You enjoy this, don't you, Fai?" she breathed, tearing through another blister along his back, his screams remaining locked in his throat as tears began to leak through the soaked cloth tied around his eyes. "What's wrong, Fai?" she licked his cheek, teeth scraping across his jaw line for just a moment as she pulled back again, "Won't you say something? Don't you like it?" her hand grazed his thigh, roaming, exploring and mapping it all out, before she was twisting the knife in his shoulder and the pure agony that ripped through him was enough to momentarily distract him from what was happening to him._

What was that? That…did that happen to him? But…when? Why? H-How did…

_"You're not so strong now, are you, Fai?" She grabbed him again, drowning out Syaoran's words completely as she squeezed him oh-so-painfully and yet still his body reacted to her ministrations as she tugged and pulled. With the loss of his sight, every other sense was heightened. He could feel her lips and teeth and the knife and the hands, moving, exploring, biting, nipping, claiming every part of his body. He could also smell the blood and sweat and stench of bodily fluids lingering on his skin mixing with the sharp scent of her perfume and he could taste his own blood on her lips and tongue when she forced her kisses on him, but worst of all, he could hear her whispered words and her sharp breath against his skin. _

N-No…that wasn't him…that woman, she was…she was…

_"_Nothing_ can help you now, but you know you want this," her hands left his hips to tangle in his hair once again as she bit down on his lower lip, drawing more blood, "you like it." The blindfold was pulled off his eyes, and even though the dungeon was not very brightly lit, he couldn't help but squint up at the pitch-black irises that stared down at him in perverse pleasure. Her movements grew a little hurried as she latched on to his neck, sucking and nipping and he began to lose himself. He wanted it to end._

He knew her…he knew that woman. She had hurt him. And now she was hurting Masooma.

_"You're weak." She told him as she began to descend on him, warmth enveloping him but doing nothing to comfort him as she bit into his shoulder again, her wicked nails breaking the skin at his hips as she used his body to support herself, "Powerless." She added sadistically, a moan vibrating against his lips as she forced her mouth on his, tongue pushing past his teeth to dominate him yet again. "Pathetic." She murmured mockingly. "You're nothing without your magic," he couldn't help but believe her words, "Just look at yourself. All the magic in the world can't help you."_

Fai was scared. He was useless…He was weak and he had no magic and…Fai was useless…and scared…Fai could not help her…but Fai had promised to protect Masooma…he had _promised!_

-0-

"I had my way with your beloved Fai," the hunter gloated as she left the blond where he was, returning her attention towards the witch now that she was sure the magician was not going anywhere. "After that, I cut him up. Isn't that pretty much what Bauld did to you?" she smirked as she bent down to fist her hand in what was left of Masooma's hair. "And surprisingly enough, he gets saved by the Oracle at the last possible minute too." Pulling the witch to her knees, the hunter narrowed her eyes, "I'm rather surprised he survived what I did to him, but then again…" she grinned, sliding the flat side of her blade down her neck, "just the thought of how good he was the last time makes me feel all hot and bothered. One girl to another, was he ever that good with you?" Her grin took on a cruel edge as she sliced through the lower half of Masooma's shirt to expose the meshwork of twisted silver scars, "or were you too _scarred_ to even touch him?"

"Go to hell." Masooma hissed before spitting at the hunter. All signs of mirth left the woman's face as she wiped the saliva off her cheek, backhanding Masooma in rage. The witch felt the roots part from her scalp as her captor kept a firm hold on her hair, the taste of blood exploding across her tongue from the hit.

Slicing a thin, painful line of crimson across Masooma's throat, the hunter bent down next to her ear. "You're going to wish you had not done that, bitch." The knife was plunged into Masooma's shoulder, eliciting a scream from the guardian. Not relenting, the hunter proceeded to jab her knee into the witch's torso, tearing out more hair as Masooma tried to keep from doubling over in pain.

"N-No." She could hear Fai's voice in the distance over the ringing in her ears as she tried to regain her breath. The steely taste of blood intensified in her mouth as her magic automatically began to heal the damage inflicted on her body. "Don't hurt Masooma-chan…"With every drop of magic spent, her hold on consciousness began to waver, little by little, even as she tried to hold on if only for the sake of the blond. But she knew she couldn't take much more of this.

-0-

"Is that all you can take, Bauld?" he hissed, slowly advancing on the panting hunter. "I had imagined you to be a lot more…challenging."

Rising to the bait, the man pushed to his feet, rushing towards the Oracle. Ducking under the attack, Nixon took the moment to slice at the tendon behind the hunter's knee as he passed him by. The Oracle had to hand it to him, the bastard only let out a grunt as he crashed to the floor. He could hold in his screams if magic was not the thing inflicting the agony. The man glowered up at the slowly advancing magician as he clutched his now-useless leg while Nixon summoned his blade back to him with a lazy flick of his wrist.

"I bet you're loving this." The hunter spat, pushing upright to stand tall. He favored his injured leg, putting all his weight on the other one, but he seemed to still refuse to look weak before the Oracle. Bauld readjusted his stance and Nixon could feel the slight shift in his aura when more adrenaline was pumped into the former's bloodstream. The whoosh of the axe slicing through the air came only a heartbeat later, the Oracle erecting a shield to protect himself. Ducking out of the way as the shield shattered under the force of the Cerellium weapon, the Oracle jabbed his knife into the hunter's already injured leg."Every moment of it."

-0-

A burning in her gut pulled Masooma out of the bliss of unconsciousness that had momentarily enveloped her. Trying to stifle another scream, she distantly became aware of someone else screaming in the background.

"Don't hurt Masooma-chan!"

The last of her magic sluggishly snaked its way through her body towards the wound, though she knew it wouldn't be of much use. Even if it could staunch the flow of blood for a little while…she would still die at the hands of this hunter, and then Fai…

"I'm so sorry, Fai…" she breathed, her eyes sliding shut off their own accord as the hunter pulled the knife out. A tear leaked past her closed lids as she began to succumb to the darkness again, for what felt like it would be the final time as her magic depleted itself in trying to heal her.

"Good bye, you little Guardian _bitch_." The female hunter hissed in her ear. In her mind's eye, Masooma could almost picture the knife sailing through the air towards her, Fai's screams and cries nothing but white noise somewhere far, far away. She was lost to nothingness long before she could feel the pain of the metal slicing through her flesh to take her life.

-0-

The woman would not listen. He screamed and screamed and pulled at his restraints till his wrists bled, but still she would not listen. Fai had to save her. Fai had to save Masooma!

The woman shoved the knife into Masooma's stomach. The smell of her blood was so heavy. He couldn't breathe. The woman was hurting Masooma and Fai couldn't breathe. And…Masooma was…she was bleeding. There was so much blood.

"I'm so sorry, Fai…" he heard her whisper.

No. No. No. No…There was too much blood. Too much blood and he couldn't breathe and…Masooma was going to die. He was going to fail…but he had promised to keep her safe. He _had_ to keep her safe. He had to. He had to save her. But the woman would not listen and Masooma was hurt and she was bleeding and Fai was weak and helpless and…oh, God, he needed air…why couldn't he…what was…Masooma was going to…no, he couldn't…

She was going to stab her. The knife was going to cut out her heart and then she would die and Fai would fail in his promise to her and oh, God… there was so much blood and the woman was going to kill Masooma. He screamed as something inside him snapped.

-0-

Tsubasa was unaware of how long his entire being had been consumed by the pain but…he could feel a comforting warmth right beside him. This warmth caressed his face before playfully ruffling his hair, much like his father used to.

_It's okay, Little Wolf,_ he heard a soundless murmur, _it will be over soon._

Closing his eyes, he let the feeling take over him completely, though his lids flew apart only seconds later as white-hot agony ripped another scream from his throat.

-0-

She could feel the stirrings of the second presence inside her, the feather that had been dormant for so long in her body as a memory now awakening. It did not take long for her to figure out what was happening, even as another spasm wracked her when the feather began to separate from her, drawing the fire with it as it sluggishly began to surface from her chest.

_It won't be long now,_ she heard those whispered words in a voice so like her own.

-0-

"It feels great, doesn't it?" Bauld grinned up at him, spitting out a mouthful of blood as he did so. Nixon kicked the axe out of his reach, looking on with an unchanging expression, "This feeling of power you have over me. You can do anything you want and I won't be able to retaliate, now that you've sliced my legs." He panted, "How I wish I had done the same to your little bitch. She begged me to let her go when I took her for the first time." Nixon's hold over his anger that had been so firm up until that point suddenly began to slip as the hunter continued. "You have no idea how good she felt under me. The feeling of her warm, tight-argh!" the hunter's words were cut off by a pained howl as his hand fell to the ground with a dull thud, severed from his body.

"You dare speak about her again and I'll rip out your tongue." Nixon growled menacingly.

"If you think…" he groaned, "that I'm going to beg you for mercy-"

"I know you won't ask." Nixon cut in.

"I bet you wish I would." He chuckled through the pain he must have surely been feeling. "Your little bitch did. Oh, how she begged me every single time I took her. And you know what the best part about her was?" Without waiting for the Oracle's response, he continued, "It always felt like the first time with her."

"If I were you, I would start crawling away now." Nixon warned in a deathly silent voice as he walked over to the axe he had kicked away earlier. Ignoring the Cerellium as it burnt his skin upon contact, he turned his attention back to the hunter, "You have until the count of ten before I start chopping you to little pieces, starting with your other hand. If you thought provoking me into killing you swiftly was going to put you out of your miserable existence, you miscalculated." He took a perverse pleasure in watching the hunter's confident aura suddenly shift colors in fear and alarm. "That's right. You _should_ be scared. I have dreamt of the moment I'd have you at my mercy from the moment I pulled Masooma away from the Complex."

His palm had begun to sizzle in response to the energy generated by the metal trying to nullify his magic and the magic fighting back. He barely even paid it any mind as he walked towards the hunter at a leisurely pace, "You better start crawling, Bauld, because I'm about to begin the countdown." He drawled. "One, two, nine, ten. Time's up."

-0-

The fire was nearly gone now, taking with it the white that had blinded her up until that point. She could feel the stones and pebbles and debris from the destroyed city poking her in the back through the material of her shirt. Eyes as green as her own stared back at her, set in a face that distinctively lacked the pink scars that marred her own skin.

Exhaustion overcame her body as the vision of her clone flickered before her eyes before vanishing altogether. Her eyes slid closed of their own accord even though she could hear Fai's frantic screams in the distance. She wanted to help him, but…she was just so tired…

-0-

Tsubasa slumped on the ground, panting in exhaustion, coming to notice the circle of horrified onlookers that had formed around him during his…whatever it was that had happened to him. Trying to push upright on shaky arms, he felt a pair of warm hands support him. Looking up, he found himself staring at the melancholic look on his father's face, his solid fingers touching his right cheek as he helped him into the wheelchair.

"F-Father?" he whispered hoarsely as the image began to flicker before his eye. "No! Father!" he screamed, reaching out for the fading image of his father. He fell to the ground in a trembling heap as his body passed through the clone's before the latter vanished altogether. Tears of helplessness and anger leaked from his eyes, even as he closed them in defeat, sobbing to his heart's content as the magical assault he had just undergone began taking its toll on his body and pulled him into the beloved arms of unconsciousness.

-0-

Blood. There was so much of it. Flowing down his wrist. Trickling down his elbow. Dripping to the floor. Pooling by their feet. She hurt his Masooma. She hurt _her. _Just like she hurt Fai. This woman tried to kill Masooma like she tried to kill Fai but now he would kill her. He would make her bleed. He would make her scream. She hurt his Masooma, she hurt _him, _so he would make her die.

Her blood was so warm. And it trickled down his arm. Her heart fluttered in his fingers. She screamed when he squeezed. She hurt him. She hurt her. She hurt everyone. Now he would hurt her. And then, he would kill her. She wouldn't hurt anyone again. He pulled out his hand and the woman screamed for the final time.

He brought the heart to his face, tilting his head to one side to look at it. This was what had kept her alive. But now he had it. She would not hurt anyone ever again. It screamed as he squeezed and squeezed and there was more blood flowing down his hand and dripping to the floor and then… it burst. _Now_ she was dead.

And there was so much blood everywhere and…Masooma was hurt. Masooma was dying and Fai was going to fail. Her skin was so cold, her heart was beating, but she was so cold. She was going to die too. Just like the woman who hurt them, and then Fai would be alone and…Fai would not be able to keep his promise.

"M-Masooma?"She wouldn't answer him. Why wouldn't she answer him?"Masooma-chan?"Still no answer. And, oh, God! There was so much blood…she was dying. She was dying and he was going to lose her and-no! He couldn't lose her. Not her. But she was bleeding and dying and he couldn't help her and he was losing her and she was going to die and she was bleeding and-she was bleeding! She just needed some more blood. He could give her his!

-0-

Kurogane panted heavily as he dropped to the ground. It was done. It was over. The powerful presence that he had felt once he had learnt to recognize the Essence was now gone. He had succeeded in unsealing it. And if he had truly done what he thought he had, then…the kids were free. The clones had their bodies back. The seals had been channeled through his body to bind their souls to the physical realm. They were no longer just memories but were once again living, breathing people. This was the world they had been searching for. The one where Tsubasa's debt would be completely repaid. The one where the manjubun's earring would stop glowing long enough for them to actually spend some time in the place, just like they used to with the clones.

Stretching out his sixth sense, he tried to guess where everyone was, focusing on where he had connected with the kids. It took him a moment to find them all, but it felt as though a heavy weight had been lifted from his chest when he sensed it. All over the city, the Magi were winning their respective battles. It could have been the fact that they were at an advantage on their home ground, or maybe they were just that desperate to protect their last haven, but they had somehow managed to protect the city, despite the odds. But what relieved him the most was the fact that he could sense the Shaman moving towards the spot where Fai was. It was going to keep its side of the deal after all.

He felt them appear long before he saw them, but the minute they materialized before him, Kurogane was at the receiving end of twin gratuitous smiles before he was enveloped in a rib-crushing hug. "Thank you for helping us all, Kurogane-san." The princess beamed at him, her _green, _shining eyes staring at him out of a face that could belong to the princess in ten year's time. Struggling to his feet and ignoring the protest of his tired muscles, Kurogane beckoned the kid closer until he was side by side with the princess's clone. Only when the two were right before him did he clench his fists and whack the two on their head with a grin.

"I swore I'd punch you both when I saw you next."

The kids mirrored his grin, the princess throwing her arms around him in another hug, "We missed you too, Kurogane-san." She said, finally letting go after what seemed like an eternity.

"Yeah," he couldn't help but nod, clearing his throat a little awkwardly as the princess looked around, confusion replacing the joy on her face as she said, "Where are we?"

"We will explain in a little while," The kid replied before he could, taking his wife's hand with a look that said he'd never let go again. "You were dormant inside Sakura-chan, so you don't know what's happening, but…we need to find Tsubasa and the others first." Turning his attention to the ninja, he added, "Kurogane-san, do you know where they are?"

-0-

Fai cut his wrist and more blood mixed with what was already on his hand. He could give it to Masooma and she would not die and he would save her and she would live and her wounds would heal and she would be okay. She would be strong and healthy and she would be okay. He pressed it to her lips, feeling it trickle into her mouth. She would be fine. He would save her. She was going to be okay. She wouldn't die. He would save her. Any minute now she would open her eyes and they would both be okay.

The wound on his arm healed and Fai cut it open again, forcing more blood out. She would be fine. She would wake up. She would-he cut again. She would wake up. She had to wake up. Another cut. More blood. She needed more. Another cut. He had to save her. She couldn't die. Another cut. Why wouldn't she wake?

"Masooma-chan, wake up." She needed more blood. She was weak and tired. That was it. He cut again, "Wake up. Wake up, Masooma-chan." Another cut. She wasn't waking up. She needed to wake up. She couldn't die. She couldn't leave him. He had to save her. Why wasn't the blood working? It had to work. It had to work. It had to!

He cut himself again. He could still save her. She just needed more of his-

"Your blood will not save the Guardian."His head snapped up, eyes wide as he stared at…

"Tomoyo-hime?"

"You are a hybrid," the princes pulled his hand away from Masooma's lips, "you cannot turn her like you were turned."

"N-No…Masooma-chan just needs blood." He shook his head, trying to free his wrist but Tomoyo would not let go. Couldn't she see Masooma was dying? "Let go."

"No." Tomoyo answered, "You cannot save her."

"I can save Masooma-chan." He argued. She was so cold. Masooma was so cold. "Let go or Masooma-chan will die!"

"Your blood cannot save her, Hybrid." Tomoyo said. "You are not a pureblood. You cannot turn her into a vampire."

"Masooma-chan will die!" he screamed, "Let go! Fai has to save Masooma-chan. Masooma-chan just needs some blood or Masooma-chan will die!"

"Do you not understand what we have just told you?" Tomoyo wouldn't let go. She wouldn't let go and Masooma was dying and he could not give her the blood and-she wanted her to die too. She wanted Masooma to die, just like that woman. Fai would kill her too. Fai had to save Masooma. Fai had to keep his promise to her and if this woman tried to stop him Fai would kill her too. His claws hit a barrier as he tried to grab the woman's heart. He tried again. And again. And then, he could not move. He had to save her. Hadtosaveherorshewoulddie!

He screamed and screamed, but the magic would not let go. He couldn't move. And the woman wanted Masooma to die but Fai could not kill her and she was just standing there. And then she was walking towards him.

"The Guardian has served us well. It would be a pity to lose a witch of her caliber." Her cold fingers touched his temples, slowly digging into the skin as she continued, "A deal is a deal, and I must honor mine."Too deep. Too deep. It hurt. Oh, how it hurt. Her fingers pierced his skull, ripping the world away from him as darkness began to pull him in, someone screaming and screaming and screaming and then…he knew no more.

-0-

"There should be an exit around here somewhere," he murmured, feeling a little unsure himself as he looked around the dim cave. He could no longer sense auras because as soon as they had arrived, his extra sense had completely vanished, as though the dispersal of the Essence had somehow ripped that ability from him too. His gaze landed on a small opening in the continuous cavern wall, about ten feet off the ground. He pointed it out to the reincarnations as he resealed Ginryuu. They ended up having to help the princess up the wall, but once there, the ninja took the lead even though the tunnel was wide enough for two of them to crawl together. He let the kids bring up the rear, trying not to chuckle at their whispers as they tried to relay just how much both of them had missed the other.

The tunnel was rather long and the soft murmur of their voices in addition to the exhaustion from the ordeal he had just undergone was enough for the ninja to let down his guard for an exact amount of three seconds. And in those three seconds of inattention, the ground gave out under him, causing the man to lose his balance and tumble down with flailing arms to find purchase. He heard the kids' twin cries of surprise before he could even call out to warn them of the danger, his body colliding with the ground in a painful heap, his metal arm cracking as it hit something hard. The kid jabbed an elbow into his gut as he fell on top of him, the princess landing rather gracefully at the very top. He couldn't help but recall all those times he had been at the bottom of the dogpile during the journey to gather the clone princess's feathers. Grunting at the kids to get off before he asphyxiated-because they were both heavy now-Kurogane pushed to his feet once they both had scrambled off of him. He groaned in annoyance when his mechanical arm refused to function properly.

The sound of footsteps had them all on their guard. Even if he had sensed the magicians forcing the hunters to surrender, one or two of them still could have escaped and-Sakura gasped behind him when a man staggered into their view, covered from head to toe in blood. He clutched a familiar-looking battle-axe in his right hand-smoke slowly rising from the closed fingers and the hilt as the smell of burning flesh and ozone permeated the air. The axe had belonged to the hunter Kurogane had left for the Oracle to fend off, but the man before them was certainly not him. The blood-covered man groaned, his legs giving out under him only a few feet away from the ninja. He appeared not to have seen the trio, which in itself was strange until Kurogane saw those grey eyes.

"Oracle," the warrior said as he stepped forward to help the man up, only to be blasted into the wall by a spell as the man cried out.

"I've killed your leader, you bastards!" he screamed, "see all the blood on me? It's his! Unless you want that happening to you and your friends, crawl back to your Complex and never return!"

"Oi," he grunted, staggering to his feet a little unsteadily. "It's me, you dumbass." He growled irritably.

The blind man clutched onto the smoking axe as though his life depended on it. It was obvious that the Cerellium was hurting him, but he did not even seem to notice the smoke or the burning flesh. It was draining him of his magic even as the ninja watched, the Oracle's entire body trembling rather pathetically by now but he did not let go. "You're in shock," he breathed, cautiously approaching the volatile man, "Calm down, it's me, Kurogane. It's okay, you don't have to fight anymore."

The Oracle apparently recognized him on some level because he did not attack again, although he still clutched onto the axe like his whole world would be destroyed if he lost the thing. Making sure to keep his motions as slow as possible, he touched the man's shoulder.

"I don't have to fight anymore." The man repeated breathlessly, as though he could not believe those words.

"That's right." The ninja nodded, slowly pulling the axe from the man's suddenly lax grip before beckoning the kid forward to help him support the magician's weight, "It's done. It's finally over."

**_A/N: And as Kurogane so eloquently put it, it's over. Don't worry though, there's still an epilogue to tie up all the loose ends but then it will finally be over. Drop me lots of reviews and feed all the plunnies to make them write faster._**


	62. Bouncing Back

**_A/N: I'm glad everyone enjoyed the last chapter so much. But my plunnies got out of hand again and I ended up writing an extra chapter in the end. But this one ties up a lot of loose ends making it easier for me to keep the epilogue short (could just be me but I think an epilogue has to be short ^_^; ) and sweet. Now then, go ahead and enjoy the bonus chapter ;)_**

_"I don't have to fight anymore." The man repeated breathlessly, as though he could not believe those words._

_"That's right." The ninja nodded, slowly pulling the axe from the man's suddenly-lax grip before beckoning the kid forward to help him support the magician's weight, "It's done. It's finally over."_

"No!" Sakura heard the man gasp, struggling to get away from Kurogane and Syaoran's supporting grip even though it was obvious he was on the verge of collapsing. "We have to get to the main cavern! Fetch a healer," he cried as Syaoran lost his grip on the man, the latter's wild flailing causing Kurogane to drop him only a second later. The man refused to just fall down like he should have, though. He half-crawled, half-staggered past her. "There's still time."

"Oracle," Kurogane addressed the blood-covered man as he hurried after him, Syaoran gripping her hand to pull her along as he too followed after the duo. "Time for what?"

"Find a healer!" the Oracle groaned before he stumbled and crashed on the ground.

"Syaoran," she whispered shakily to her husband, "what's going on. Who is that? Why is he covered in blood? What is this place?" She had been dormant inside her original's body in the form of a feather all this time. She could only ever recall having caught fleeting glimpses of her husband through her original's eyes…except for that one time she had truly awoken long enough to feel his touch on her skin. She might have reacted a lot more impulsively then was appropriate, but… she had soon been pushed back into the dark, remaining oblivious to everything until a short while back when she had felt the magic weave through her very soul to build her this body she now possessed.

"That's Nixon-san," the brunette replied, "he's an old friend of Fai-san's from Celes. We're in the catacombs built underneath the city of Magihidusi. I'll explain everything to you later, okay?"

"We'll get there quicker if you let me help," Kurogane growled to the man as he forcefully pulled the latter's arm over his shoulder, supporting most of the weight of his body as he began to lead the way. "What's wrong? Why do you need a healer?"

"She's dying." was all he said. Although his words did not make sense to Sakura, it seemed the ninja had understood, for he hurried his pace.

"Don't worry, the princess is a healer and she's here with us. She'll help her."

She could see a brighter light up ahead near what appeared to be the opening of the tunnel. As she stepped over the threshold a few yards later, the sight that met her eyes could only be described as decimation. What was probably once a magnificent city built inside the giant cavern was now nothing more than a pile of crumbling rocks, embers dying in some places. Here and there she could see a solid structure having withstood the destruction, but most of the buildings were destroyed.

"Over there." Nixon pointed closer to the center of the city, a few yards to the right of pyramid-shaped building. "She's over there. Save her." he begged, leaning heavily on Kurogane for support.

"Come on," Syaoran tugged at her hand, snapping into action and pulling Sakura along as he raced to where the man had pointed, climbing up and down the ruins to take the shortest route there. Her chest was heaving from the exertion by the time the brunette stopped running. Their destination was stained a rustic crimson, five unmoving bodies- three men and two women- just lying there like marionettes with their strings cut off.

She took in the unmoving chests of the two men laying amongst the rubble, the big gaping hole in the chest of one woman- her expression frozen in surprise in death. A horrified gasp escaped her lips when her gaze zeroed in on the blood-bathed form of Fai.

"Fai-san!" she exclaimed, letting go of Syaoran's hand as she hurried towards the mage. Uncaring of the blood, she dropped on her knees beside the blond, checking for a pulse, letting out a relieved sigh when she found one thrumming strong right beneath the skin. "He's alive." She assured Syaoran, who was kneeling next to the last woman.

"But she's dying." He responded solemnly as he looked at Sakura.

"Please! Don't let her die!" she heard Nixon cry somewhere behind her. Nodding to her husband, Sakura scrambled closer to the woman, hurriedly taking note of her injuries: a stab wound in the shoulder, a shallow cut on the throat, maybe some internal injuries judging from the copious amounts of blood covering her mouth and a stab wound in the lower pelvic region. Deeming the last one to be the severest of the injuries, Sakura pressed her palms against the exposed flesh, goose bumps rising all over her body as her fingers felt the thick scars on the woman's skin.

Gathering magic in her palms, Sakura closed her eyes, concentrating on trying to save the life that was slipping through her grasp like water through cupped hands. She had no idea who this woman was or what had happened to her, but she knew she had to do what she could to save her life.

-0-

Syaoran let the heavy stone fall to the ground with a thud, feeling the vibrations in the soles of his feet as he wiped the sweat from his brow to take a look around. All around him, he could see the healthy survivors help move the rubble to a side cavern where the materials would be magically broken down for reuse as construction materials of the new city. He spotted Kurogane and Numero pushing a makeshift cart carrying a lot more debris towards the designated cave along the path they had cleared out. It was the third day since the Hunters had attacked, and while the first few hours after the magicians' victory were spent trying to find survivors and relocate them to a safer location in the catacombs below for healers to treat, some form of order had returned to the panicked population in the form of a surprisingly calm and level-headed Captain Numero aiding the two youngest council members in getting things under control.

It had taken quite a while for Sakura to stabilize the witch, but she managed to do it all the same. But the amount of blood loss in addition to the injuries Masooma had sustained and the amount of magic that she had lost-Sakura had told them later on-was enough to put the witch in a coma until her magic could restore itself. No one was sure how long that might take.

Nixon, unfortunately, had collapsed as soon as he had gotten close enough to Masooma with Kurogane's support. It was obvious that even his determination to be by her side was not enough to overcome the need for his body to recuperate. Luckily for the blind man, his injuries had not been very severe and he was back on his feet in only twelve hours' time. Immediately after, he had gone off to help the council members with various problems that had arisen in the wake of the attack, stopping only long enough to get an update on the witch's condition. Syaoran had no doubts that at the current rate, the Oracle would be back in the ward for a case of over-exhaustion.

When one of the magicians came up to relieve him at the end of his shift, Syaoran thanked the man with a tiny nod as he picked up his discarded shirt from the spot he had left it. Pulling it on, he began making his way towards the catacombs. The extensive labyrinth of tunnels and caverns had been turned into a makeshift living area for all the survivors, including five treatment wards for the injured. A separate cavern quite a ways away from the city had been designated as the holding cell for the captured hunters. The council members along with Nixon had been having discussions to come up with the best possible solution to deal with that particular problem. Syaoran and his friends had been invited by the Oracle to attend that night's meeting to decide on how to best deal with the issue of security of Magihidusi now that its location had been compromised.

But that was an issue they would all have to think about later, Syaoran decided as he walked along the sloping tunnels. Shadows danced across the walls from the magical fires that had been conjured to light the way for all those coming and going from the surface of the city. Syaoran stopped at the opening of one of the casualty wards, running a hand through his hair as he tried to decide whether or not to enter. It was a strange ritual that he had come to performing every single time he came to this particular cave in the past three days. He always faltered right at this spot, indecisive on whether to step inside or turn on his heels and never return. And it wasn't because of Tsubasa being in that ward, either. No, there was someone else in there that he couldn't quite bring himself to face. And the most frustrating part of the entire deal was that he didn't even know why. Shaking his head after nearly five minutes spent in that spot in contemplation, the brunette decided to step inside.

-0-

Her hand remained slightly cold in his grip, even though he had been holding on to it for nearly half a day now, watching the slow, unchanging rise and fall of her chest. Sterile white gauze was wrapped around her throat, disappearing beneath the collar of her rust-colored shirt and peeking out from underneath torn sleeves along her arms. More bandages were wrapped around her stomach and legs, though his gaze was continually drawn towards her expressionless face, parted lips dry and cracked. Unevenly-cut hair spilled out on the pillow beneath her head like a dark halo, further highlighting the paleness of her skin. Resting his chin on his arm folded over the mattress, he kept staring at her unchanging, expressionless face, silently praying to gods he had longed stopped believing in to return her to him. But like every other moment in his life when he had dared to pray to them, they did not listen.

He did not know how long he stayed that way, but hearing a familiar voice call his name, he straightened up, blinking slowly. He inwardly frowned at the slight sting as his dry eyes got the much-needed moisture.

"How is she?" Nixon asked from where he stood near the foot of her bed. His lips were pressed together in a thin line, exhaustion making him appear older than he was, dark circles underlining his eyes. This was the first Fai had seen of the man since that time in the ruins of Magihidusi and it was quite obvious the Oracle was over-working himself, but the blond knew the other man would refuse to listen if he were to tell the latter to rest for a bit. So the magician decided on answering the question he was asked instead.

"Same as she has been up until now." He squeezed her hand lightly, feeling disappointed when she gave no response whatsoever.

"No change then?" the Oracle inquired softly.

"None." He replied, watching as the other man's shoulders hunched just a little. "The healers have no idea when she might wake up." he added, "They're trying to do what they can for her, but…" he trailed off, unable to voice what he had been told. He still had a hard time wrapping his own mind around the thought of her never waking up. How could he voice it and make it even more real of a possibility?

"Are you going to stay now?" Nixon finally asked when he deemed he had let Fai brood for long enough.

"The journey is finally over." He said, "Syaoran-kun and Sakura-chan have their bodies back."

"I know about them." The man said a little impatiently, "I asked if _you_ had decided on staying or not."

"Masooma can't leave, can she?" he questioned in return.

"The bond of Guardian still binds her to this city. She wouldn't be able to stay away for long."

"I made her leave once before," Fai admitted quietly, "I did it for her own safety, but I also did it because I still had things that needed doing and I couldn't afford to be distracted from them. Not to mention, I didn't feel worthy of having something like that."

"But it's all changed now." The Oracle nodded.

"I'm not sorry that we fell in love," the blond said as he returned his gaze to the witch's face, "but I _am_ sorry that you had to suffer so much because of it."

"Don't be." Nixon said sharply as he turned on his heels and started walking away, "I don't need your pity."

Fai watched him go with a sad frown, waiting until the Oracle had left the cave to return to his initial position to continue staring at Masooma's face for the smallest sign of a change.

-0-

Tsubasa struggled to get into a sitting position without disturbing Mokona who slept peacefully, cuddled up to his side. It took a little more effort than should have been necessary, but he was glad he was not panting by the end of it. He looked around the ward, noting the slowly dwindling numbers of patients that still remained bedridden with serious injuries while the less-serious cases were discharged to help with the rebuilding effort. The cave he was currently in was one of five that had been transformed into a temporary infirmary, makeshift cots lining the length of the cave in two neat lines, conjured curtains suspended between every bed, with some of them drawn to give the injured just a little bit of privacy.

Two beds to his right, he could see Fai's hunched form seated next to a comatose Masooma. He felt a twinge of sadness in his heart when he took in the sight of the woman who had helped him regain so much of what he had lost. He only hoped she would wake up soon, Fai had yet to leave her side, after all. The mage had had an argument with Kurogane the previous day about the disadvantages of remaining by her side.

Tsubasa had been pretending to be asleep at the time because he had not felt like he was ready to face his mentor, or anyone else apart from his father, though due to a shortage of healers, his mother had taken over the task of his healing. He was grateful that she had not tried to force him into a conversation, giving him time to approach them all of his own accord. Sakura had come to visit him too, but just like the time with Kurogane, he had feigned sleep. Like his mother, she was helping the healers, even though after having spent so much of her magic she was still recuperating herself. He had found this out from his father when the man had come to see him that afternoon.

He noticed Kurogane enter the cave out of the corner of his eye and hurriedly lowered his head, refusing to look. It would be too conspicuous to suddenly lie down and pretend to be asleep, so he decided on the tactic of playing ignorant. Just to give himself something to do, he picked up Mokona and placed it in his lap, slowly patting its sleeping head.

Kurogane stopped at the foot of his bed for a moment. Without even looking up, he knew the man was staring at him. He could feel his eyes on him but he refused to look up. He knew that Kurogane could tell that Tsubasa was ignoring him, but instead of saying something, the man merely heaved a sigh and resumed walking. Tilting his head just a little, he saw the man approach Fai with a tray of foods. Fai sat up, looking at the ninja with the tiniest of smiles as he accepted the food. Kurogane did not sit next to the magician until the blond had actually begun to eat. He could catch snippets of conversation from them but it wasn't enough for him to make out what was being said.

He remembered the way the two had yelled at each other the previous day, the fight nearly getting physical until one of the healers had intervened and told the ninja to leave for the fear of disturbing the patients. The ninja had returned that night with food for the blond, just like he had come twice today already. If it wasn't for Kurogane, Tsubasa was sure Fai would have starved himself rather than leave Masooma's side for even a heartbeat. The conversation was decidedly more polite and a little formal if the looks on both the adults' faces were anything to go by. All too soon, Kurogane was getting back to his feet and taking the empty tray from Fai and… he had seen Tsubasa watching them talk. Dread clenched its burning claws around his heart as the man began to walk purposefully towards him.

-0-

The kid looked like a deer being confronted by a hunter as Kurogane strode towards him, but he refused to leave him alone now. He had given the kid space for long enough. He couldn't stand the fear that still showed up on his face whenever he looked at Kurogane, only to be replaced by guilt whenever the kid looked away. He could tell the kid was ashamed of his fear of them and though he did not blame the brunette for his fear, he couldn't let this thing continue any longer. Despite it being finally over, their little family was still falling apart at the seams. The mage refused to leave the witch's side, the kid refused to talk to anyone but his father and the princesses were both overworking themselves just to keep from thinking about it all. The Oracle, too, had thrown himself into work and Kurogane wasn't quite sure what he was doing to cope with it all. He was trying to go on with life as usual, but… it was just a little frustrating that even though it was all over and a lot of things had changed, there was still much that was just the same.

Stopping at the foot of the kid's bed, he looked at the boy who once again guiltily averted his gaze. Refusing to let the avoidance get to him, he spoke. "How are you feeling now?"

The brunette looked up, surprise flickering across his face as though he had not actually expected Kurogane to speak to him, mouth opening and closing like a fish for nearly a minute before he cleared his throat and responded in a hoarse voice. "I-I'm much better." Silence hung between the two for nearly an eternity before the kid cleared his throat once more. "H-How… How have you been, Kurogane-san?"

He knew saying that he was fine would be a total lie in light of the bruises that decorated half his face and the wires poking out of his artificial arm, all trophies of his fight with the Shaman, so he decided to go with a milder version of the truth. There was no point in outlining all his injuries for the boy anyways. "I'm okay, I've been through worse." which wasn't that much of a lie after all. The worst injury that he had ever received was the one he had inflicted upon himself when he cut off his own arm to save the mage. Compared to that, this fight had been nothing.

"I see…" Tsubasa nodded, fingers playing with the hem of his shirt for a little bit as he seemed to struggle with something, "Fai-san looks better." the kid finally said. Looking in the direction he had come from, he saw the blond once again resting his head on the mattress right next to the witch's face. "He's not…" the brunette trailed off uncomfortably, "he became that way because of me…when you came to rescue me, he…got caught. I remember it all now…" The kid admitted hesitantly, "I'm glad he's better."

"The shaman healed him." He responded gruffly.

"What about Masooma-san?" he asked quietly, "Is she going to be okay?"

"She got pretty banged up," he answered, feeling a little unsure about how much to tell the kid, "She lost a lot of blood, but your mother fixed her up quite well."

"Then why isn't she waking up?" there was a hint of challenge in the brunette's tone, letting Kurogane know that he was aware of the omission.

"Her magic got taken away from her."

"Will she be alright?"

"I hope so." The silence that prevailed between them was uncomfortable, but Kurogane had nothing more to say to break the silence. Clearing his throat awkwardly, Kurogane stepped away, "The Oracle called everyone for a meeting, so I guess I'm going to go. Take care of yourself, okay kid?"

-0-

Sakura tiptoed into the cave, carefully making her way through the beds till she reached Tsubasa's. He was fast asleep, eyes closed and lips parted just a little as he snored softly. Two beds down, Fai had his head buried in the mattress next to Masooma. Looking around, she noticed all the other patients were asleep as well. Runic spells glowed above some of the patients, possibly to monitor their condition, she guessed from the unchanging symbols floating above Masooma's bed. It crushed her heart to see those two like that. Fai deserved to be happy too. He had endured enough bad things already. But every passing moment that the witch did not wake was another moment that brought the witch closer to being brain dead. Syaoran's mother had done what she could to stabilize her condition, but it would seem that had not been enough. What would Fai do if she never woke up? Would he just waste away by her bedside?

Shaking her head, she sent a small prayer to help speed up the witch's recovery before turning her attention to Tsubasa. He looked peaceful as he lay there, unbothered by the worries that plagued them all in the waking world. She had not been able to come visit him up until now, because Kurogane had mentioned that he pretended to be asleep every time the ninja had come. What if he pretended to be asleep when she came to see him too? At least right now, she knew he wasn't avoiding her. He truly was asleep. Settling down onto the mattress next to his arm she continued looking at him, drinking in the sight of his face as she reached out with trembling fingers to brush a few hairs away.

"I'm sorry I haven't come to see you till now," she murmured, caressing the side of his face, feeling her heart flutter when he leaned into her touch. "But I've been helping out your mother and the other healers. I'm not really able to do anything major because your mother has forbidden me from depleting my magic any further. Your father and Kurogane-san support her wholeheartedly in that decision. Kurogane-san thinks I'm overworking myself…" she chuckled softly, "Funny thing is, when I'm working, I can focus on the tasks at hand. I don't have to _think_ at all. So even though Kurogane-san keeps on threatening to chain me to a bed if I work late one more night, I still do."

Smiling a sad smile she continued, "I wish I could work up the courage to talk to you again, but the truth is, I'm scared. I'm scared to look into your eyes and still see some of that fear and hate lurking in there somewhere." She was surprised to taste salt on her lips. She wasn't even aware of when she had begun to cry. "I'm really not strong enough to withstand that. I know you know the truth now, but…what if, what if you can't separate me from the person who hurt you?"

She nearly jumped off the bed when Tsubasa's fingers sought her hand, twining their fingers together just the way they used to. Squeezing her hand just a little, he opened his eyes, meeting her gaze for the first time. All she could do was inhale sharply as she stared into his amber eyes.

"You're not going to give up on me, are you?" he said hoarsely.

She choked on a sob, unable to stop the tears that now trailed down her cheeks in a steady stream.

"Don't cry, please," he reached out with his other hand to wipe them away but they just kept on coming.

"I'm sorry…I just…can't stop." She replied, offering him a wet smile. Throwing caution to the wind, she flung her arms around his neck, sobbing openly into his chest. "I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry, Tsubasa. I wasn't able to help you. I was too weak. I wasn't strong enough for you. I'm so sorry…"

"It wasn't your fault," he murmured, his calloused fingers petting her hair in a soothing motion as she breathed in his familiar scent, even if it was severely overpowered by the smell of antiseptics and healing salves. "Shhh…it's okay, it wasn't your fault. I…I don't blame you anymore."

"It broke me every time you told me you hated me," she cried, unable to stop the dam now that it had burst, "every time you refused my help, turned me away…but I always picked up the pieces and put myself together. I always returned, only to be crushed and beaten all over again. But I kept coming back. Again, and again and…I just couldn't stop. I loved you too much for that. No, I _love_ you too much for that…but I'm not sure if I have the strength to put myself together again if you push me away. Don't do that to me again. Please don't do that to me…"

"I won't. I promise." His arms returned her embrace, "I know it wasn't you. I'm so sorry for all the pain I put you through. You did not deserve any of it, but I was just so…confused and lost and hurt…I couldn't help but lash out at you. At all of you. I'm so sorry for that. I wish I could take it all back now. I…I nearly made you kill yourself and you're telling me you still love me?"

"I don't know how to stop loving you." She replied helplessly, pushing away to meet his gaze again, "I _can't_ stop loving you."

"Would it be selfish of me if I said I'm glad?" he whispered, causing her to laugh despite her tears, "because the truth is… I couldn't stop loving you either."

And then, taking her completely by surprise, he pulled her down again, crashing his lips against hers in a kiss that took her breath away.

-0-

Time went by and things began to fall into place. Thanks to some clever intimidation involving Nixon, Kurogane, Syaoran, Sakura, the original Sakura, Numero and the younger council members cornering the leader of Metropolis in his own territory, they had managed to get a binding agreement out of the bastard about the safety of Magihidusi. It had taken a lot of magic and skill to pull the whole deal off but the city was once again a safe haven for the magi. Nixon seemed to have run out of things to do and usable excuses to avoid seeing the others. It had been three weeks since the attack and Masooma had not shown any signs of improvement. It was worrying that although thankfully her condition had not declined, it had not made any changes in the positive direction either. The healers were now worried she might never wake up and…Nixon had not been willing to try and _see _into the future to know what would happen. He was afraid of the healers being right.

So he pushed it all away, just like Fai had pushed away thoughts of his time spent in captivity. The blond, he had been told, still had not moved from her side during all this time. There even had been a rather major fight between him and his companion over that subject, even though the ninja kept on grudgingly bringing the blond all his meals in the ward. The original Sakura was a lot more cheerful now that she and Tsubasa had finally made up, the clones were adjusting to living out their lives in their new bodies and they city was once again slowly regaining its former splendor. The ninja was helping with the patrols and…everything was becoming normal again. Just the way it used to be. All except…him and _them_. He tried not to think about what would happen when she woke up. She and Fai would probably pick it all up again and…he'd be left as the third wheel to tag along.

But he didn't want to be the third wheel. He knew now that she could never be his. She never was for, that matter, and he had only just come to realize it now. He couldn't really stay here anymore, not when Fai was there to stay with her. There was no need of him anymore, but he wasn't ready to leave just yet. He still wanted to say goodbye to them. Maybe there was someone out there for him, too. And even if there wasn't, there was still a lot more to life than to pine away after a love he couldn't have. He wondered if he would be able to hitch a ride with Mokona when the dimension travelers left. He could always travel by himself, but it was better when one had company.

-0-

Darkness was all she could find. It was all she had known for so long. No voices, no light, nothing but darkness. It was a void she couldn't crawl out of because her body was weak, unable to help her crossover into the real world. And the longer she stayed the more she felt herself become a part of the nothingness that surrounded her. She knew she had to find a way out, find a way to go back, but she just wasn't strong enough. She did not have the strength. She was too weak. So she stayed there in the void, letting it erode pieces of her with every passing moment. All too soon there would be nothing left of her and she would be one with the nothingness. Giving in to the blissful ignorance, she sank and sank and sank until she hit the very bottom. And then a burning fire lit up the sky of the nothingness, voices entered her world and the void became a non-void.

But despite the light, she couldn't wake up. Couldn't open her weighed-down eyes, couldn't move. Couldn't talk. Couldn't do anything at all. But she could feel _him_, holding on to her and refusing to let go, gently pulling her, guiding her towards the light. Sometimes she would hear a familiar voice whisper words to her, sometimes she would feel the warmth of someone holding her hand and sometimes, she could almost _see._ But it was never enough for her to completely pull herself out of the void. So there she remained hanging, not quite dead, but not quite alive, either.

_"How long are you going to make me wait, Masooma?"_ his voice stirred her out of the hazy non-existence she now was a part of, "_I know it wasn't fair of me to have sent you away like that, but you're not really going to make me wait for that long, are you?"_

She wanted to tell him that she didn't want to make him wait, but…she couldn't wake up. She was stuck and…there was nothing she could do. Slowly his voice faded away to become part of the background noise that now filled the world, leaving her to drift back into the emptiness.

"_Won't you wake up? For me?"_ She wanted to! She did want to wake up but she couldn't. She was stuck. There was more white noise and she was lost once again.

"_That's the fifth time Kuro-tan has tried to haul me out of the ward, you know. Of course he couldn't move me in the end because I'm not leaving until you wake up."_ He was speaking again. She wanted so badly to go to him but what could she do? She was still stuck, "_Sakura fears my muscles will atrophy from the lack of use but I guess we could both go through recovery together when you wake up."_

White noise in the empty world she was in. She longed to speak to him the way he spoke to her, hold his hand the way he held hers, comfort him the way he comforted her but her body was frozen, her lips glued shut. What could she do? What could she do? He was waiting for her. She had to get back. Find a way out. Find some way to go to him. If only she could move. If only she could speak. Maybe it had been hard because she had not wanted it enough? It was easier to remain here than it was to go back because she knew there would be pain and sadness there but here there was nothing, no worries, no sadness, no pain. But…didn't he deserve that she make an effort?

_"It's been a month now, Masooma. Tsubasa-kun has recovered enough to be discharged from the infirmary but he's been coming to visit you too. He wants to thank you for what you did for him, but he says he'll say it to you when you're awake. Are you going to keep us waiting?"_

She didn't. She didn't want to keep anyone waiting. She wanted to go back. Even if there was pain and sadness waiting for her, there were good things there as well. There was love and happiness and…him. Surely he was worth it. She had to try. She tried moving but after having been frozen for so long, she only managed the smallest twitch of her finger.

_"M-Masooma?"_ She couldn't speak yet, but…she could still show him she had heard him, couldn't she? She tried again but still got nothing more than a twitch. "Y_ou…You moved!"_ she heard him laugh as a tiny flare of magic disturbed the air around her for the briefest of moments, "_Sakura-chan, Tsubasa-chan! She moved!"_ He was happy. She wanted to make him even happier but her strength was fading fast. She was lost back in the void but at least she knew now. She could do it. She just had to try again.

It took countless tries and numerous failures, but finally came the day when she was able to force her eyes to open and her lips to part. Bloodshot blue eyes looked down at her with the biggest grin plastered on their owner's face that she had ever seen.

"H-Hey…" she croaked hoarsely, a small smile of her own pulling her mouth upwards even as exhaustion slammed into her with the force of a ton of bricks. "Sorry I kept you waiting."

"Hey." Fai grinned back before pulling her into a tight embrace, "Welcome back."

**_A/N: And they all lived happily ever after~ _**

**_End of story. *dodges a bullet* okay okay, not the end of the story. There's still the epilogue left so leave lots of reviews and help the plunnies breed and write because I'm kinda stuck… ^_^;_**


	63. Blessed

**_A/N: I can't believe I'm finally saying this. This is it guys. The final chapter of a story I started over two years ago, something that's one of my masterpieces so far I think and something that was made even more precious to me thanks to all you awesome readers. I hope you enjoyed reading it just as much as I did writing it :)_**

He smiled encouragingly at the witch as he helped her walk across the room, half-supporting the weight of her weak body, helping her recondition the muscles in her legs into moving properly. Being bedridden for over a month had left her too weak and her muscles too stiff to function normally. Magic had, of course, sped up her recovery considerably but as there had been a lot of patients and not enough healers to spare, there was only so much the exhausted magicians charged with taking care of the infirm could spare for Sakura's fears of his own body growing weak during the time he had spent at the witch's bedside, Fai was just fine after Kurogane made him take some blood.

His vampirism ensured that no matter what happened, he would always recover inhumanly fast as soon as he had had the blood of his prey. Quite convenient, even if it still made him feel guilty to take the ninja's lifeforce. He could remember being set adrift in the infinite cold after the silver-haired hunter had gutted him open but the ninja's blood had literally brought fire back to his cooling body. That was something for which he would be forever indebted to the , for his part, had merely scoffed and brushed his gratitude aside as though saving his life was something he had long since gotten used to…which in hindsight probably held quite a lot of truth in itself. His attention was drawn towards the auburn-haired woman stepping through the door with a smile.

"Fai-san, Masooma-san," the elder version of Sakura greeted, jade eyes shining in excitement on a face unmarked by the ugly scars that now marred the skin of her original. "Everyone is ready and they're all just waiting for you now."

"We'll be right there Sakura-chan," the blond responded, redirecting Masooma to the wheelchair that was placed in one corner of the room. While the witch was not permanently bedridden- as proven by her walks across the room during the past week- she was still too weak to be able to stay on her feet for long without support.

Chest heaving as she settled in the chair, Masooma pushed her now short hair out of her face as he began wheeling her to where Sakura stood, patiently waiting for the duo.

-0-

Kurogane watched the trio approach the rest of the group, noticed the way the smile slid off Nixon's face when he sensed them arrive, saw the way the older brat's eyes lit up at the sight of his wife, a silly grin forming when he seemed to realize she was not about to vanish. Kurogane could only try to put on a poker face because he knew what was coming next. He had known that this time was coming for quite a while now and he hated to admit it, but he wasn't ready yet. Not for this. He had gotten used to this life, constantly travelling with the rest of the idiots, looking after them and making sure nothing could harm them in his own way- failing rather spectacularly sometimes at the keeping them safe part, but he'd tried his best all the same. But now… the time had come where they would all begin to part ways.

Maybe there might still be months left before everyone went their separate ways but he'd somehow known ever since he'd seen the mage look at the witch that first night, in a manner exactly replicate of the way the kid looked at his wife that the man would never ever leave her behind again. With the clones having gotten their bodies back, the time would soon come when they'd come to their homeworld and they'd leave the group for they'd reach Clow and the princess and the kid would both settle down there, possibly even get engaged, if the king didn't get too fussy over it. And then one day Kurogane would find his own home and he'd look upon his princess and know that he would never leave her side again either. What had begun so many years ago was now coming to a close, an end, and Kurogane still did not like admitting that he wasn't ready for the goodbyes.

They were all going to go their separate ways and he would lose the little, dysfunctional family that he had acquired on a journey that had begun as a punishment but had turned out to be the best one ever.

"And look who finally arrived." The Oracle pointed out in a voice much louder than was necessary as he sauntered up to the mage and the witch. The cheery tone of his voice betrayed the pain Kurogane had seen flash across his face before and was now mirrored in the faces of the couple before the Oracle. "Oh, come on now, what's with the long faces? We all knew this day was going to come sooner or later." The man said, keeping up the cheerful façade. "Mr. High Mage here is no longer insane and out of control, and Miss I-can't-really-stay-out-of-trouble is nearly back on her feet and that's just a big fat happily ever after waiting to happen, so what's with all the sadness, hmm?"

"Nixon," he heard the witch murmur, the smile almost completely gone from the Oracle's lips as he took his hand in her own.

"It's okay, Masooma," the man replied, crouching to her level.

"No, it's not." She shook her head, slipping out of the wheelchair to wrap her arms around his neck, "but… I just want to say thank everything."

The Oracle held on to her for a lot longer than necessary as the mage looked on with an unreadable expression until the blind man drew away, shaking his head with fragile smile. "I'll do it all over again if I ever have to." Looking up at the blond, he clambered to his feet, helping the witch back into the wheelchair as he continued, "But now that Fai is here, there's no need for me to do that. Besides, I think it's about time I started looking for my own little happily ever after, wouldn't you agree?"

"Nixon," now it was the magician's turn to pull the Oracle in a hug, "I'm truly grateful for what you did for for me. Thank you."

"Ah, so you finally admit that I'm much better than you are, don't you?" the blind man attempted to joke with a soft chuckle.

"Only in your dreams," the blond shot back with a challenging glint in his eyes, something Kurogane had only previously witnessed back in Infinity-but unlike the way the mage had looked at him, there was no anger, no hatred in this look, just an ease to his posture that came only when in the company of someone he trusted to the greatest degree. Kurogane was happy to know he was one of those people too.

He watched the kids move in to say their goodbyes, hanging back until the last possible moment, trying to figure out just what the hell he was supposed to say when it was his turn. In the end, he decided to give the mage a brief and awkward one-armed hug.

"Try not to get killed when I'm not around, idiot." Later on he would refuse to acknowledge that his voice shook just the tiniest bit when he said those words. He watched the manju spread it wings as the familiar magic circle appeared beneath his feet once the meat bun had had its full of hugging the blond, tearfully saying goodbye to the ones who were staying behind. As the last of Magihidusi faded away in wisps of magical smoke, Kurogane was saddened to internally admit that he'd miss the grinning idiot and the witch they had left behind.

His attention was soon drawn to the lavender-eyed woman awaiting their arrival in the very next world. The moment his feet touched the ground, he forgot all about being sad as he tried not to grin like a fool at the sight of his princess.

-0-

Nixon could sense the ninja's disappointment when the man realized the woman waiting for them was not exactly who he had thought, but another version of her. Tomoyo graciously invited the travelers to ride with her as she escorted them to a lavishly furnished mansion. The young woman waited until they were all securely inside before squealing loud enough to make his ears ring. By the time he got his hearing back, she was gushing over the two princesses, declaring how much better it would to film the two 'cute' Sakuras together, declaring she would be dressing them both up for the duration of their stay in that world. He was later informed by the ninja that Tomoyo had done the same with the princess's clone the last time they had come to Piffle.

When Tsubasa wondered how it was that she had known of their arrival, the president of Piffle Princess Corporation explained how a friend of theirs-Watanuki- had contacted her to inform her of the conditions surrounding their arrival. According to the shop owner's instructions, a team of specialists had already been arranged for Tsubasa's physical analysis. Hopefully in less than a week they would have enough data and test results to proceed with his operation and then once his physical therapy was over and done with, he'd be back on his went to bed feeling a lot happier that night. The next morning was the start of a long string of visits to healers that specialized in that world's mode of healing which, strangely enough, heavily incorporatedthe use of machines in analyzing a patient. He supposed humans had to find some way to deal with sickness and injuries when they had no magic to aid it was an interesting approach to the art of healing, one he was sure Masooma would have been fascinated by.

It took him a while to remind himself that he was supposed to be searching for his own happily ever after now, same as he had promised his two best friends he would. When Mokona hopped over to wordlessly cuddle with him, Nixon did not push the little guy away, softly petting the little creature as he 'watched' the world move on around him while they waited for the doctors to explain their diagnosis.

-0-

Tsubasa was feeling apprehensive, a big ball of nerves building up in the pit of his stomach. Even though he had been assured the procedure would go on well enough, the possibility of something going wrong was still there. The doctors said there was still a fifteen percent chance of failure. His body might not be able to adapt to the foreign chip implant in his spine and might reject the object altogether. Which,of course, would mean that he truly was crippled for life, but everyone had been telling him to focus on the positive aspects and the huge eighty-five percent chance of everything going just right for him. Everyone except for Kurogane, that was. The ninja had yet to actually speak to him properly. In fact, with everything that had been going on with him ever since they had arrived in Piffle, the red-eyed warrior had not said more than three words to him in the span of a week. And not all those words had been said at the same time.

His mother and father came to wish him luck in his room, half an hour before he was to be put under for the surgical procedure. His own Sakura waited for them to be done before awkwardly making her way to him. Although things had improved a lot between them, there was still a small distance that they both seemed to be still trying to bridge. But he knew they'd get there one day, even if now wasn't that time. He inhaled her familiar and once-again-comforting scent when she wrapped her arms around him in a hug, telling him it would be alright. He allowed himself to draw strength from not only her words but her presence as well. The tight knot inside his gut loosened just a little bit. She smiled at him through tearful eyes as she drew back, giving him a quick peck on the lips then trying to dart away, though he managed to pull her right back in. The familiar taste of her against his tongue was so unlike the tainted, twisted taste he had come to associate with her during his time spent in captivity. A part of him wondered how he could ever have taken that vile woman to be Sakura when his princess so sweet and unique.

Her calloused fingers brushed against the back of his neck as she brushed through his hair. Much to his pleasure, his body did not shake in revulsion to her sudden touch, a sure sign that he was recovering. Maybe there was hope for him yet. They both broke apart at the sound of someone clearing their throat rather loudly. Blushing beet red to the tips of his hair, Tsubasa met the amused grin of his former mentor.

"Tomoyo is looking for you, Princess." The man said, smirk still present on his lips as he cocked his head at the corridor behind him. "She's got that recording device of hers with her, so unless you want to be filmed making out with the kid…" he trailed off, his smirk widening when the princess squeaked out an answer while heat rose along the back of Tsubasa's neck. Offering him one last 'goodluck', she scurried out the door to stop Tomoyo before she found them together.

"How're you feeling, kid?" Kurogane said as he pulled up a seat next to his bed and settled down.

The words 'I'm fine' died right on his lips as he met his mentor's gaze and all the feelings he had been keeping concealed came tumbling out before he could stop them.

"It's not weakness to admit you're feeling scared," the man said as he reached over to ruffle his hair the way he used to when Tsubasa truly was a kid. "Letting that fear over take you and blind you to the possibilities offered beyond that fear is true weakness. It's going to be okay."

And in that moment he believed the man wholeheartedly.

**_A/N: The end. Drop me your final reviews and tell me what you're thoughts are. A big thank you all who stuck by this story and the irregular updates for these past couple of years. You guys are awesome. _**

**_I'd just like to clarify a few things regarding something my beta pointed out concerning Fai's vampirism. He's still part-vampire but like Yuuko had said back in Acid Tokyo, once he'd gotten his eye back, he was no longer dependent on Kuro's blood to survive. I mean yes, if he gets the blood, his vampire half will be stronger but even if he's not to get any blood ever again, he won't die because his magic is strong enough to ensure his survival. The vampire half would just sort of go into hibernation if you will. ;)_**

**_I deliberately left the ending open to reader-interpretation instead of making it out to be something definitive but I think considering the rest of the story and the way I tried to portray what happened to them, a concrete happy ending wouldn't fit as well as a hopeful happy ending did, don't you agree? ;)_**

**_P.S. There won't be any sequels for this story but don't worry, I do have a Celes-based prequel in mind that will focus on Fai's life there before he left for Yuuko's shop. I'm not sure when that will be up because I'm hoping to finish Shattered Secrets and Whispers in the Dark first. But if all does well, I will most definitely be writing it out so keep an eye out and well… put me on your alerts for regular updates. _**

**_P.S.S. The prequel will be titled 'Learning to Live'_**


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